http://web.sny.tv/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100111&content_id=7899318&oid=36320&vkey=18 hsf09 linked to this article in another thread here. This seemed worthy of a new thread to me, for this part: The idea that McGrady ended his season early last year because of an impending trade is nothing new. Bill Simmons made the point a number of times, even in when interviewing Daryl Morey on an ESPN podcast. But I always took it as idle speculation. This person claims a source told him the Rockets had already sent the trade in to the league, and then McGrady caught wind of it and killed it by ending his season early. So, if the Rockets can't get something good in return, they may just sit on his contract instead of helping him out with a lateral trade. There is one thing which gives me pause in accepting this person's story that the Rockets were so close to trading for Carter. Jonathan Feigen last year seemed very confident that the Rockets would not be interested in trading for Vince Carter because of the duration of his contract. It seems strange that he would have written that without having a strong reason to believe it.
Hmmm I never previously read that the rockets had actually submitted a trade to the league officials, and were that close to a deal. Maybe it was Gods way of saying don't get VC.
Heh, my bad. I was going to post it but I felt as if there might of been enough T-Mac and NYK speculation out there.(Not to mention I had just posted a T-Mac NYK thread right before I was about to post this story). Though, I believe there was a McGrady trade that was to be made last year but for whatever reason didnt happen. Many names were tossed around.(Stoudemire, Carter, B. Davis, Bosh off the top of my head) All rumors though so we'll never really know if a deal was close or what not.
How often is Feigen right/wrong in his rumor reports? I haven't subscribed to the Chronicle for years now and Feigen never seemed to be a writer that was in deep with the Rockets organization. No matter. The confusing part of this is why would McGrady block a trade that would send him to Jersey? Of course looking at the Nets this season they are a horrid bunch but he has a more mobile and athletic center in Lopez and he has a good point guard in Harris. This isn't accounting Douglas-Roberts and other young players. McGrady could have came in and help put the Nets in a situation where they could actually be *gasp* decent.
Because he would've been replacing Vince Carter, who helped them struggle to another lottery season. How much better is McGrady than Carter? Enough to make him think if it was him and not VC they'd be a playoff team? I doubt it.
Lol, Mcgrady would of been crazy to go to the Nets last year. Why leave a playoff caliber team with Yao/Artest to go to the lowly nets. I'm sure he felt that if he was able to still play and be healthy The trio of artest/yao/mcgrady would be capable of going deep into the playoffs.
Feigen's tendency is to not speculate. So when he says something specific and, more importantly, testable about what the Rockets are planning, I tend to believe it.
These are the obvious reasons why and I shared the same sentiments but if McGrady knew that his days in Houston were numbered, why would he go through the events that led up to him eventually sitting out the rest of the season? If he was disenchanted playing alongside Artest (and to a much less extent, Yao), why bother to do things to stay with the team? The Nets isn't an NBA player's dream location but it would serve McGrady's ego in that the Nets would be fine with him hoisting 25 shots a night. I guess I'm giving McGrady too much credit in forecasting his future because he had to have some kind of inclination that by him pulling out for the season without informing anyone on the Rockets first that he's essentially burned the bridge. Unless he's thinking: "The Rockets want to exile me to Jersey?!?! **** that crap. I'm going to sit and get surgery and kill that trade. Then, I'll come back and everyone in the organization from Les down to that asian ballgirl everyone on CF likes will welcome me with open arms! 13 in 35 baby!!"
This is exactly what a lot of us assumed She-Mac had done last year at the trade deadline and this only confirms what I already deduced when it all went down last deadline... Tmac sold the team's best interests out because he didn't like the trade and when he did that, he basically punched his ticket out of here one way or another. Good riddance *******.
On the flip side, having VC would've meant potentially fewer minutes for Yao which could've prevented his injury.
really? I'd like to see what would Yao and VC do in playoffs. That might be Yao's last healthy season.
But Yao went out after 3 games against the Lakers. Don't pull that whole "what if" Yao goes down on a yearly basis no matter what.
Feigen will report exactly what the Rockets brass clears, no more, no less. When he reported about the TMac saga last year we all knew he was history, many were hoping it would be sooner than later. Buy given Yao's injury, things may work out all for the best on Feb. 19th.
"The Rockets are still mad. They had sent the trade to the league," another source told me. "They were ready to ship him out and McGrady killed it."
