Tracy McGrady News

Will T-Mac be worth Knicks' risk in 2011?
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March 14
Bergen Record
 
"Glimpses of the old Tracy McGrady that he produced at the outset of his three weeks with the Knicks have given way to reality - plus pain in the left knee on which he had microfracture surgery a year ago. The seven-time All-Star with the expiring $23 million contract admits the Knicks, who took on a Mavericks' team riding a 13-game winning streak Saturday, might not see the real him the final month of this season. Which already has prompted wonder about whether he'll ever be the old T-Mac again. He dismisses that, saying, "I'm just trying to really get to that point healthy. I don't think going into next season there will be any problems [like] I'm having right now." Easy for him to say, ..."
New York Knicks' Tracy McGrady misses his old self as he's forced to sit on sidelines late in games
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March 14
New York Daily News
 
"You don't have to be Tracy McGrady to know that his surgically-repaired left knee is hurting more than a little. Now, 22 days into his Knick career, the one-time high-flying perennial All-Star who made a name for himself by attacking the basket has been reduced to playing on the floor and rarely driving to the rim. Sometimes, he can't even operate at the lowest of altitudes, as was the case when he didn't play at all in the fourth quarter of the Knicks' loss in Memphis on Friday. But that, McGrady admits, comes with the territory. Still working his way back from microfracture surgery 13 months ago, and after playing very little in six games for Houston in the first part of the season, he ..."
Rest of season will be McGrueling
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March 14
New York Post
 columnist Marc Berman
"Tracy McGrady has waved the red flag. He has come to the realization his left-knee pain probably won't ease this season and that fans won't get to see the old T-Mac until next season. But McGrady said he believes if he stays healthy enough to play and help the team in small ways, such as a playmaker and rebounder, then he will get a contact somewhere next season. But as far as the acrobatic artist and dominant go-to guy, forget about it. "I know I'm not healthy," McGrady said at FedEx Forum after a four-point outing vs. Memphis Friday. "I'm not healthy to go out there and be as effective as I wanted to be every night. It's not happening and I have to have patience with it. I'm not going to ..."
T-Mac laggin' in loss
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March 13
New York Post
 
"It's becoming increasingly clear: The Knicks are better without Tracy McGrady, whose breaking down by the game. With McGrady out and Bill Walker in, the Knicks staged a spirited fourth-quarter rally slicing a 23-point deficit to five points in the final minute before falling 119-112 to the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. In falling to 3-9 since the Feb. 18 trades, McGrady showed alarmingly no life again last night, scoring four points on 1 of 5 shooting with three turnovers before sitting the fourth quarter. "I just don't think he has his legs right now," coach Mike D'Antoni said. Walker scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth to lead the surge. The Grizzlies led by 29 in the third quarter. ..."
Tracy McGrady says fatigue has caught up with him
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March 8
Bergen Record
 
"On a night when the Knicks get their last look this season at another potential free agent on their summer wish list, Joe Johnson, plus old friend Jamal Crawford, Tracy McGrady may miss the welcome party. After nine games with the Knicks, including three back-to-back sets, "The body is finally tired, really tired," he said Sunday. So he expects to make a game-time decision tonight about playing against a team the Knicks beat twice in Atlanta this season. "It's just my body, man," he said when asked if he has pain in his surgically repaired knee. "My body's finally caught up to me with all these games." Yet, even if he goes, another lineup change is likely, with Sergio Rodriguez expecting ..."
Tracy McGrady exhausted after 9 straight games, may sit against Atlanta Hawks
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March 8
New York Daily News
 
"The Knicks hit rock bottom against the Nets, and now Tracy McGrady has hit the wall. After playing nine straight games over his first 14 days as a Knick, in his most extensive action of the season, McGrady might sit out Monday night's game against the Hawks in the Garden because he's battle weary. Getting blown out at home by the Nets by 20 points will do that to you, but in McGrady's case it's more physical than mental. "It's finally caught up to me, all these games and minutes," McGrady said after practice in Greenburgh Sunday. "My body is hurting. For a while it was going, but I'm really tired." McGrady will decide at game time if he is going to play. After playing in only six games in ..."
McGrady making progress
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March 7
New York Post
 
"Tracy McGrady boldly said his health is really improving and he believes he's been making big progress since the Knicks acquired him a little more than two weeks ago. But McGrady also admitted his team doesn't appear to be moving in the same direction. McGrady and the Knicks were walloped by the Nets last night at the Garden, falling 113-93. McGrady didn't impress statistically, scoring just two points and sinking only one of his six attempts from the floor. But he did tally seven assists and three blocks. "I struggled getting up and down moving and everything. But for the most part, I felt better on this back-to-back than I have in the past," he said. "[I'm] making major steps. I'm real ..."
Tracy McGrady can relate to Chris Bosh
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March 6
Bergen Record
 
"Ten years ago, Tracy McGrady was where Chris Bosh is now, a warm-weather guy in a cold-weather city dealing with unfamiliar money in an unfamiliar country. "He's been here for quite some time now," McGrady said of the city where he spent his first three NBA seasons. "He's personally been successful. The team really hasn't done that much. Maybe he wants to start off with another franchise or maybe [he'd leave] for tax reasons." That's the Knicks' hope, that the Raptors' big man - whom LeBron James said is the 2010 free agent with whom he'd most like to play - forgoes Toronto after seven seasons to play in New York, with or without LBJ. Bosh didn't address that or anything else before or ..."
McGrady puts Houston problems in past
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March 6
Toronto Star
 columnist Doug Smith
"Tracy McGrady has no legitimate shot at breaking a personal streak of NBA playoff disappointment this season and there are serious questions about where he will play and at how significant a salary cut next season. He's playing a relatively new position on a going-nowhere franchise with new teammates he's still not familiar with. Listen to him talk, though, and there's no place he'd rather be given where he's been the last year or so. "I'm just finally clearing everything behind that I went through, with the surgery and the bull crap with the Rockets," McGrady said Friday morning before going through a shootaround with the New York Knicks prior to their 102-96 loss to the Raptors at the ..."
T-Mac gets the point in victory
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March 4
New York Post
 
"It's too late for the Knicks to get back into the playoff race, but not too late for Tracy McGrady to make something special of the final six weeks. Could T-Mac be the point guard of the future? Starting out of position at the point last night, with Mike D'Antoni's benching of Sergio Rodriguez, McGrady erupted with a stalwart performance and led the Knicks to a 128-104 Garden rout of the Pistons to help ease the pain from Monday's catastrophe in Cleveland. McGrady scored 21 points with eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals and his knee didn't fall off. "Today was one of those days I actually felt like my old self as far my movements, timing rhythm," McGrady said. "I felt like I ..."
James' response to T-Mac e-mail about coming to NY: LOL
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March 2
New York Post
 
"Tracy McGrady has already e-mailed LeBron James an overture to join him in New York next season. But James will have to see more from T-Mac for his New York presence to be a draw. Following McGrady's listless six-point, 25-minute performance, James saw the rust. "He looked like a guy who hasn't played much," James said after the Cavaliers crushed the Knicks 124-93 last night. "It doesn't matter how much rehab you do, how much working out you do. You have to be out on the court, because game-time stamina is totally different. He's still shooting extremely well. He still can play point forward as he always had. But he's still getting his legs back. The last 20 games will help him, help him a ..."
Tracy McGrady puts out welcome mat for LeBron James
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March 1
Bergen Record
 
"Given the opportunity on July 1, and if the Knicks still want him after this season, Tracy McGrady gladly will do all he can to bring LeBron James to New York. But tonight in Cleveland, where the two teams meet for the final time this season, it won't be about trying to impress "King James," as McGrady called him Sunday, a first time for the newest Knick and the last time for his new team. That's because he and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni doesn't believe that will matter. "Nobody knows what LeBron James is going to do but LeBron James," said McGrady, who expects to play tonight after sitting out the second half of Saturday's 120-109 loss to Memphis with stiffness and soreness in his ..."
McGrady on LeBron countdown
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March 1
New York Post
 
"Everyone has an opinion on whether LeBron James will leave Cleveland and head to the Knicks this summer. Tracy McGrady doesn't think they're worth too much. The Knicks are in Cleveland tonight to face James and the Cavaliers for the final time this season, and yesterday McGrady said he rejects the notion that the Knicks need to prove to James that they're a worthy destination. "Do I buy into it? No," he said. "Nobody knows what LeBron James is going to do but LeBron James. No. We can't control that. We have no control over that. The Knicks did what they had to do to try to make this franchise better, and that's clear some cap space to bring some players in here to turn this franchise ..."
McGrady sits in Knicks' latest loss
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February 28
New York Post
 
"Lucky the Knicks aren't in a playoff race. Otherwise, this Tracy McGrady experiment would be a disaster. The audition of T-Mac took another lousy turn when he sat out the entire second half with his sore left knee. McGrady scored as many points last night as comedian Tracy Morgan, who sat courtside in last night's 120-109 loss to the Grizzlies. With McGrady missing, ex-Knicks power forward Zach Randolph, a newly minted All-Star, stole the spotlight, celebrating his Garden return with a monster night, scoring 31 points and securing a career-high 25 rebounds. "I didn't have it tonight," McGrady said. "It was pretty tough out there for me moving around. I wasn't going to try to push through ..."
Tracy McGrady's knee flares up in loss to Grizzlies
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February 28
Bergen Record
 
"Tracy McGrady's five-games-in-eight-days whirlwind debut tour with the Knicks hit a speed bump Saturday night when he decided his surgically repaired left knee couldn't take it any more. So he sat out the second half of the Knicks' 120-109 loss to the Grizzlies — the former a bit more significant than the latter, because about all Mike D'Antoni's team has left to accomplish at this point is avoiding another 50-loss season. McGrady will play the final two months under a microfracture microscope, trying to prove if he has any of his seven-time All-Star chops left. "Tonight it was pretty tough," he said after playing a scoreless 15:04, missing three shots from the floor. "Usually in the first ..."
Fans flock to T-Mac
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February 27
New York Post
 
"According to a study by SeatGeek.com, Knicks ticket prices on the secondary market have risen dramatically since the Tracy McGrady trade, even as the club drops in the standings. The data shows that since the trade, average ticket prices for the remaining Knicks home games on secondary markets such as "StubHub" and "TicketsNow" have raised from $52.81 to $78.75. SeatGeek.com is a forecasting service analyzing the secondary markets to advise consumers whether to wait or not on ticket purchases. "The Tracy McGrady trade demonstrates how ticketing data is a great test for fan sentiment," said Russ D'Souza, co-founder of SeatGeek. "New York fans voted with their wallets and drove the price of ..."
Harrington and Lee power OT win after McGrady sits
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February 27
New York Post
 
"Tracy McGrady did his work early, and Al Harrington and David Lee took care of things late when McGrady's left knee stiffened. As their newest star sat out the fourth quarter and overtime, the Knicks snapped their eight-game losing streak with their first win since the deal that brought McGrady from the Rockets on Feb. 18, 118-116 over the Wizards in overtime. Harrington, on the same day he met President Obama courtesy of teammate Chris Duhon, scored 37 points and Lee notched the game-winner on a driving layup with 1.6 seconds left in OT at the Verizon Center. McGrady finished with 23 points after a terrific first half, but sat out the game's final 19:32. Lee scored four of the Knicks' ..."
Houston: McGrady kneeds time to adjust
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February 26
New York Post
 
"Allan Houston says the key to Tracy McGrady's comeback from microfracture left knee surgery is figuring out how to adjust. "The biggest thing is finding your routine, finding your warm-up, finding what works," Houston said after Knicks practice yesterday, in preparation for tonight's game against the Wizards in Washington. "Because no matter what you do before, it's nothing like -- I mean, I didn't even really get to the stage that he got to in terms of actually going through a daily practice and all that." Houston has been through this operation before. The former Knick All-Star, who now works as an assistant to team president Donnie Walsh, is a microfracture survivor. McGrady, meanwhile, ..."
Mike D'Antoni expects Tracy McGrady to struggle before getting back to 100% for New York Knicks
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February 26
New York Daily News
 
"In three games as a Knick, Tracy McGrady has understandably been a shadow of the player who once made All-Star teams nearly as easily as he made baskets. But as bad as he's looked at points in his first sustained action in over a year, it might get worse. Drawing on what he saw in Phoenix when he coached Amare Stoudemire, who also underwent microfracture knee surgery, Mike D'Antoni expects McGrady to struggle even more before he turns it around. "What happens is that you start off at a higher level and then you go down into a trough and then you work your way back up." D'Antoni said after practice in Greenburgh Thursday. "So I would expect him to even go down some. I hope not. But that's ..."
T-Mac lowers expectations due to injured knee
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February 25
New York Post
 
"Tracy McGrady is sobering up to the realization there may be no fairy tales for him in New York this season. After an intoxicating Saturday night debut in which McGrady racked up 26 points in 32 minutes before an adoring Garden crowd, reality has struck the past two games. McGrady is dealing with a bruised left knee -- the same knee that underwent microfracture surgery a year ago yesterday. T-Mac, so brassy in Friday's introductory press conference, lowered his own expectations following his tentative six-point, eight-shot outing in Boston Tuesday, reshifting his goals to staying healthy rather than being the Knicks' leading man. The Knicks are 0-3 with McGrady in the lineup. "This is just ..."
Knicks add Tracy McGrady, but fall further out of playoff picture
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February 25
New York Daily News
 
"Tracy McGrady is predicting it will take him four more weeks to get in basketball shape and at least another six months until he is close to 100% healthy. In the meantime, the Knicks continue to fall further into oblivion during McGrady's celebrated and closely monitored convalescence. They have lost eight straight games, and Mike D'Antoni is on a collision course with a dubious distinction that even Isiah Thomas managed to avoid: back-to-back 50-loss seasons. The Knicks are 19-37 and, entering Wednesday night's action, were tied with Donnie Walsh's old team, the Indiana Pacers, for the league's fifth-worst record. The Utah Jazz, of course, owns the Knicks' 2010 first-round pick, just in ..."
McGrady plays with bruised left knee, can't find touch in close game
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February 24
New York Post
 
"Tracy McGrady decided his bruised left knee was good enough to play through last night. It's just his game wasn't good enough. McGrady doesn't have only knee problems. He has confidence problems, too, and made that stark admission afterward. After much discussion, McGrady gave it a go vs. the Celtics after limping off the court in the final minutes of Monday's loss to the Bucks. Still battling soreness in his left knee, McGrady looked like a shell of himself, playing tentatively in scoring six points, taking just eight shots. McGrady deferred most of the game at the new Boston Garden, his highlight being eight assists. But that's not what got him seven All-Star selections."
Tracy McGrady asks out as New York Knicks fall to Bucks on night 1969-70 champs are honored
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February 23
New York Daily News
 
"In 48 hours Tracy McGrady went from being a shot in the arm to looking like a shot player altogether. Game 2 of the Great McGrady Reclamation Project suffered a potentially serious setback as McGrady was forced to pull himself out of last night's ugly 83-67 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks due to soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. "He asked out," Mike D'Antoni said following the Knicks' seventh straight loss. "He was kind of limping and stuff." McGrady, appearing in only his second game since Dec. 23 and his eighth since major left knee surgery 12 months ago, appeared to be struggling all night and was noticeably dragging his leg throughout the game. Afterward, he reported having ..."
McGrady leaves game with sore knees; questionable tonight against the Celtics
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February 23
New York Post
 
"Uh-oh. Tracy McGrady's comeback took a troubling turn when the new Knick limped off the court in the final minutes of his second game. The cursed Knicks limped to a horrifying 83-67 loss to the Bucks and were booed off the court by a surly Garden crowd after scoring their season low. McGrady said afterward he knocked knees twice and wouldn't guarantee he'll be healthy enough to face the Celtics tonight in Boston. "Hopefully it's not sore [today]," McGrady said. "Maybe I'll lace them up and play, but we'll see. We'll see how it feels before the game." It was a buzzkill evening on all levels -- none worse than McGrady's knees. The Knicks' pitiful offensive showing -- 26 points in the second ..."
Willis Reed likes addition of Tracy McGrady
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February 22
Bergen Record
 
"Even watching Tracy McGrady's Knicks' debut on television Saturday night after he arrived in New York early for tonight's Legends Night at the Garden, Willis Reed could tell the Garden sounded different. And familiar. It wasn't quite the din he heard limping down the tunnel to play on basically one leg in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals, but it sounded a lot like the old building to him. "It was a great atmosphere," he said. "A hopped-up crowd." Which it should be tonight not only because McGrady, two days removed from his 26-point Knicks' debut, tests himself again against the Bucks, but because Reed and his 1970 championship-winning teammates will be honored. All but Phil Jackson (who declined ..."
McGrady ready for Rockets reunion
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February 22
New York Post
 
"Tracy McGrady is ready for his version of March Madness. McGrady said yesterday that he is well aware when he will look to exact revenge against the Rockets, including knowing the tip-off time. On March 21, the Knicks play host to the Rockets, who earlier this season exiled McGrady after his six-game comeback and traded him to New York four days ago. "You already know," McGrady said with a laugh. "You already know. One o'clock game, eh?" David Lee said his new teammates -- McGrady, point guard Sergio Rodriguez and two-guard Eddie House -- made it much easier for him to score. "I've got four guys with those three and [Chris] Duhon who are all very good in the pick-and-roll and can all make ..."
Tracy feels strong morning after debut
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February 22
New York Post
 
"Tracy McGrady was worried after his brilliant Knicks debut on Saturday night about how his body would respond to a season-high 32 minutes played. Yesterday's verdict: not as bad as he expected. "This morning, I woke up thinking that I was going to be really sore and really stiff," McGrady said yesterday at practice. "But no, I'm fine." Think that's pretty encouraging? McGrady went further. "It's very encouraging," said the new Knicks star. "Because I haven't played 32 minutes in God knows how long. And woke up and felt the way I feel now. The hard work, it paid off, and my body feels good." McGrady's first game as a Knick -- Saturday's 121-118 overtime loss to the Thunder at the Garden -- ..."
Knicks Newcomers Could Bring Buzz Back to Garden
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February 22
New York Times
 
"Tracy McGrady should have been sore Sunday. Sore, fatigued, creaky, something that suggested overexertion in the line of duty. There had to be a price to pay for 32 minutes of inspiration after 12 months of relative inactivity. But McGrady is not abiding by the laws of physiology in his nascent Knicks career, or at least not conceding to them publicly. On Saturday, he rocked Madison Square Garden with 26 points in his Knicks debut. After a light practice Sunday, he told reporters that his surgically repaired knee felt fine and that his body was responding well."
Big T-Mac test ahead with back-to-back Knicks games; minutes will be watched closely
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February 22
New York Daily News
 
"Tracy McGrady cleared his first major hurdle as a Knick, reporting Sunday that he had not experienced any lingering ill-effects from his first game action since late December. When he left the Garden late Saturday night, he expected the worst for his left knee. "I was very stiff," he said at the team's practice facility in Greenburgh. "This morning I woke up thinking I was going to be really sore and really stiff, but I'm fine. I feel better than I thought I would. It's very encouraging because I haven't played 32 minutes in God knows how long." McGrady hadn't played that much in a game in over a year - Feb. 7 of last season - when he played 38 minutes for the Rockets in a win against ..."
Durant spoils McGrady's Knicks debut
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February 21
The Journal News
 
"Tracy McGrady's dazzling debut was just about everything the Knicks could have hoped for. It just wasn't enough to stop Kevin Durant and the surging Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant scored 36 points and made the go-ahead jumper with 16 seconds left in overtime, and the Thunder beat the Knicks 121-118 Saturday night for their eighth straight victory. "We knew there was going to be a lot of energy in the building with Tracy McGrady coming in," Durant said. "He played phenomenal. He's back. He played well, but I'll take the win." McGrady scored 26 points in his first game since the Knicks acquired him Thursday at the trade deadline. But he was on the bench for almost all of overtime, perhaps ..."
Tracy McGrady dazzles in debut, but Knicks fall
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February 21
Bergen Record
 
"Tracy McGrady had the Garden crowd at hello Saturday night. At goodbye, he simply had no legs. So, after a smashing first-half debut in which his 19 points outscored what the departed Darko Milicic gave the Knicks in his eight-game cameo, McGrady couldn't deliver what a building that buzzed from start to finish really wanted. Thunder 121, Knicks 118 in overtime turned into Kevin Durant's game as the visitors' superstar-in-training flushed a three to tie at the end of regulation, then a go-ahead jumper with 16.6 seconds left in overtime and finally two game-clinching free throws to punctuate a 36-point night. McGrady finished with 26, but just two in the final quarter plus overtime, and ..."
Superstar's arrival steals show at Garden
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February 21
New York Post
 columnist Jay Greenberg
"The Knicks took a number almost two years ago and, for all anyone knows, they might as well be waiting for Godot, not LeBron. So with 29 games remaining and four teams to leap over in the standings on a 30-year-old knee coming off microfracture surgery, Mike D'Antoni dispensed with all ceremony, caution and suspense, starting Tracy McGrady and the Garden's heart up again last night in one fell swoop. "I would imagine he's our best player, I'm just taking a wild guess," said the coach, damning the torpedoes and his 19-win team at the same time. Half the building stood when McGrady was introduced, the other half rose when McGrady drove past Nenad Krstic and completed a three-point play, ..."
Durant on Tracy: 'He's back'
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February 21
New York Post
 
"Kevin Durant thought Tracy McGrady resembled the player he was pre-surgery and pre-Knicks. "They gave him the ball," Durant said, "and he looked like the old Tracy McGrady to me." Durant, who usurped McGrady's remarkable Knicks debut with a superb 36-point performance in a 121-118 overtime Thunder victory, said he was not surprised by McGrady's outburst. McGrady might be coming off microfracture knee surgery and playing his first game after a lengthy layoff, but Durant believed that McGrady simply needed to be on the court. "It's just a matter of minutes," Durant said. "If he got the time, he was going to be productive. He played phenomenal."
McGrady's 26-point effort not enough in Knicks' OT defeat
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February 21
New York Post
 
"Welcome to "The T-Mac Show" at the Garden. It was a thriller and one of the more memorable Garden nights of the last nine seasons. The first of McGrady's 29-game Knicks audition went spectacularly for him as the Garden buzzed with electricity, thundered with noise, showering T-Mac with adulation before the Knicks dropped a 121-118 overtime decision at the Garden -- their sixth straight defeat. McGrady put on a smooth-as-silk superstar performance in his debut, scoring 26 points in 32 minutes with five assists, but didn't have anything left and D'Antoni benched him in the overtime until the final 34 seconds. McGrady had 19 points by halftime, but after the Knicks blew a 3-point lead in the ..."
Tracy McGrady 'feels good', but health leaves question mark on playing time
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February 21
New York Daily News
 
"Jeff Van Gundy is convinced that Tracy McGrady belongs among the league's elite players, but only on one condition. "If he's healthy," Van Gundy said Saturday. "Believe me; if Tracy is healthy over the last 29 games you can put him in the conversation with the rest of the top free agents in 2010. That's how good he is." Questions over McGrady's health and overall fitness will be answered over the final nine weeks of the season. McGrady, acquired by the Knicks in a three-team trade on Thursday, was in the starting lineup for Saturday night's game against Oklahoma City, his first since Dec. 23. He hadn't started an NBA game since Feb. 8, 2009."
Tracy McGrady collects 26 points in debut, but Knicks still fall to Thunder, 121-118, in OT
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February 21
New York Daily News
 
"If only Donnie Walsh could have traded for Tracy McGrady months ago. Maybe then the Knicks would be in the playoff race and McGrady's legs would have been strong enough to keep him on the floor in overtime. Instead, McGrady's stirring debut - save for two crucial blown free throws in regulation - was ruined by the Knicks' inability to defend and by the brilliance of Kevin Durant, who carried Oklahoma City in the final five minutes and is often compared to McGrady. Durant scored seven of his 36 points in overtime as the Thunder rallied in the last minute of the fourth quarter to tie the game before eventually stunning the Knicks, 121-118, Saturday night at the Garden. The loss, however, ..."
McGrady wins over fans in first game with Knicks
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February 21
New York Times
 
"It took Tracy McGrady just a few purposeful steps to earn an ovation, a few minutes to find his balance and one half of a basketball game to win the unadulterated adulation of a star-hungry fan base. It will take a few more days, at least, to deliver his first victory as a Knick, but that is surely coming, too. McGrady scored 26 points in his Knicks debut Saturday night, two days after being acquired in a trade that was supposed to be about the future but has already made the present more compelling."
T-Mac says he'd take big pay cut to stay in 2011
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February 20
Bergen Record
 
"Tracy McGrady is 30, a year removed from microfracture knee surgery, hasn't played significant NBA minutes (only 46 this season) since just before that surgery and has just two months to prove to the Knicks that he can. So, can he? Can he convince them that he can be productive enough to be worth a contract beyond this season? "Just stay tuned," he said Friday, dressed in an orange Knicks' T-shirt. "The only thing I can do is go out there and play my game and be me. "This is not the same Tracy from last season, when I was hobbling on one leg. That's not going to be me. I'm a lot more explosive, a lot more confident in my leg. I'm pretty close to being 100 percent." Pretty confident, too, ..."
T-Mac blasts Rockets for lack of trust
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February 20
Houston Chronicle
 
"Tracy McGrady is going to get a chance to show he is a top NBA player. And the former Rocket wants to stick around if the New York Knicks bring in some bigger stars this summer, even if it means taking less money. McGrady joined the Knicks on Friday after being acquired in a three-team trade that included the Rockets and Sacramento Kings a day earlier. He said he is nearly 100 percent after microfracture knee surgery, vowing that "this is not the same Tracy from last season, when I was hobbling on one leg." The seven-time All-Star knows he could just be a rental before the Knicks pursue players such as LeBron James or Dwyane Wade this summer but said he would take a pay cut from this ..."
McGrady deal final piece for Knicks wooing James
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February 20
New York Post
 
"Donnie Walsh is "all in" for this summer. Short of building LeBron James a mansion overlooking the Hudson River, the Knicks president has done everything he can to make New York an attractive destination for the world's greatest player at yesterday's trade-deadline frenzy. Walsh opened up another $9.3 million of salary-cap space — giving the Knicks a projected total of $32 million to play with — in acquiring former superstar Tracy McGrady and Kings backup point guard Sergio Rodriguez yesterday in a three-team blockbuster with the Rockets and Kings. The mega-deal cost the Knicks rookie lottery pick Jordan Hill, a 2012 first-round pick (protected through No. 5) and Houston's right to swap ..."
T-Mac could make Knicks debut against Thunder
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February 20
New York Post
 
"It's possible Tracy McGrady will make his Knicks debut tomorrow against the Thunder, but according to team president Donnie Walsh, that depends on whether all the players in the three-team trade with the Rockets and Kings pass physicals and report to their respective clubs. McGrady can't even practice with the Knicks this morning unless all of that has happened. Still, Walsh said he believed McGrady was en route to New York last night. So the seven-time All-Star should at least be in position to practice or play if everything else is taken care of. As for McGrady's health and readiness -- he has played only six games this season after having microfracture surgery on his left knee last year ..."
What a team player! Tracy McGrady isn't worried about salary, just wants to play with NBA's best
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February 20
New York Daily News
 
"McGrady has 29 games to show all the NBA teams whether he has regained the dynamic form that made him a seven-time All-Star before he underwent knee surgery last February. It sounds as if he wants to impress his new team the most. McGrady understands his injury history puts him well behind LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and others on the Knicks' wish list when the free agency free-for-all commences July 1. But the former Rocket says he wouldn't require much of the team's $32 million or more in available salary-cap space if it means aligning himself with one or two of the marquee stars on the market. With so much room cleared under the cap, the Knicks are expected to add two maximum-contract ..."
For Knicks, a Spry McGrady Would Be a Bonus
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February 20
New York Times
 
"Without a stage or a microphone, an official introduction or a contrived jersey presentation, Tracy McGrady gently slipped into his new life as a Knick early Friday afternoon. In blue jeans and an orange warm-up shirt, he strode into a news media work room and lowered his 6-foot-8 frame onto a padded turquoise stool. For a seven-time All-Star, the proceedings were decidedly understated. Context, of course, is everything. The Knicks acquired McGrady not as a savior, but as a place holder. They have earnest hopes for a McGrady revival at Madison Square Garden, but that is a wish and not a necessity. He was obtained for his expiring contract first and his talent second, and he is comfortable ..."
McGrady will take less money to play with superstar in NYC
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February 20
New York Post
 
"New Knick Tracy McGrady said today he's willing to take less money to stay in New York if it means a chance to play with two other stars among the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire quartet. "I'm going to tell you guys like this: I'm a guy whose made a lot of money over my career. I could retire right now and retire financially. My kids can be fine. Money is not an issue," McGrady said. "These guys would bring in a LeBron and D-Wade, along with a Chris Bosh or a Stoudemire, I'd be a damn fool not to want to stay here. "I would definitely embrace the opportunity where money is not an issue.'' McGrady, who will make his Knicks debut tomorrow if all the physicals from the ..."
McGrady era ends after late-night wheeling and dealing nets big-time scorer in Martin
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February 19
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets went shopping, taking with them a long list of items they wanted and a valuable and large expiring contract to spend to get them. When they were done, they got everything they wanted, spent a bit more than planned, and declared themselves thrilled with the haul. To bring in the high-scoring Kevin Martin from Sacramento and high-flying rookie Jordan Hill from New York, the Rockets not only had to ship Tracy McGrady as planned, with McGrady landing with the Knicks, they had to send Carl Landry, their second-leading scorer, along with Joey Dorsey and cash to the Kings. "Kevin Martin is someone who is a unique talent on the offensive end," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. ..."
McGrady's time had come, gone
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February 19
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Richard Justice
"It was Dec. 9, 2004. Tracy McGrady's 18th game with the Rockets. That was the night he did something absolutely ama-zing, the night we thought would be the beginning of a beautiful marriage. He played 35 of the greatest seconds any NBA player has ever played. As he departs with his reputation diminished, with his heart and desire in doubt, I keep thinking about that night. He lifted a team, lit up an arena and energized an organization. If you were at Toyota Center, you probably cheered wildly, and then when it ended — all 35 seconds of it — you sat there trying to get your mind around what you'd witnessed. "My will just took over and was knocking down shots for me." That's what McGrady ..."
Knicks grab McGrady in three-team deal, clear cap space
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February 19
New York Post
 
"Tracy McGrady is headed to the Knicks in a three-way blockbuster deal with the Rockets and Kings, a move that will save the Knicks $9.4 million in salary-cap room with rookie lottery pick Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries being shipped out. Jeffries will save the Knicks $6.9 million in cap room and Hill an additional $2.5 million. That's enough to net two max-salary free agents this offseason, allowing the potential of LeBron James and a prime-time partner, maybe Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. "This trade improves our position to achieve our long-term goals, while also keeping us competitive for the remainder of the season," Knicks president Donnie Walsh said today. APThe Knicks acquired Tracy ..."
Knicks Acquire Tracy McGrady in Three-Team Trade
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February 18
New York Times
 
"The Knicks acquired Tracy McGrady on Thursday in a three-team trade with the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets, according to a person involved in the negotiations. The Knicks will get McGrady from Houston and the Kings' Sergio Rodriguez, a point guard they have long wanted. The Rockets will receive Kevin Martin, the Kings' star guard, as well as Jordan Hill, the Knicks' 2009 lottery pick, and Jeffries. The Kings will receive Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey from Houston and Larry Hughes from the Knicks."
Knicks get McGrady in three-team deal
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February 18
New York Post
 
"The Knicks have acquired Tracy McGrady in a three-team trade with the Rockets and Kings. Yahoo! Sports says Mcgrady and Sergio Rodriguez will go to the Knicks; Kevin Martin, Jared Jeffries and picks got to Houston; and Larry Hughes, Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey go to Sacramento. If that report is accurate, the Knicks would hold on to rookie Jordan Hill. Early this morning, Rockets GM Daryl Morey and the Kings agreed in principle to a swap of McGrady and Landry as the principals to Sacramento for a deal featuring Martin. Tellem said the Kings may be willing to take both Jared Jeffries and rookie Jordan Hill, which would clear the enough cap room for the Knicks to sign two maximum free agents. ..."