LeBron James Isn't Coming to the Knicks, Says Tracy McGrady

[MojoMan]

McGrady says he is ready to re-sign with the Knicks next year, if they appear ready to make a legitimate run at the NBA title. Obviously the Knicks are not even close to that now. For the last year the hope in New York has been that the Knicks can lure LeBron James to sign with the team after this season. The Knicks have been working to build an "aura of inevitability" around their efforts to gather top name stars, such as James and McGrady, from around the league during this upcoming offseason.

But now it appears that the "aura of inevitability" that the Knicks have been working to fabricate may be crumbling before our very eyes.

Tracy McGrady spoke to the issue on Sunday:

quote:

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LeBron James Isn't Coming to the Knicks, Says Tracy McGrady

MANHATTAN — LeBron James won't be lacing up his sneakers as a member of the New York Knicks if Tracy McGrady's hunch proves correct.

McGrady has said he's be willing to resign with the Knicks next year if they landed a marquee player like James, but the veteran guard didn't sound too optimistic on Sunday.

"When I talk about players coming here, obviously LeBron is the guy," McGrady told reporters Sunday. "My honest opinion, I don't see it happening. I really don't. It's set for him right now [in Cleveland]."

McGrady sat out of the Knicks 113-107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday because of his swollen left knee, the New York Post reported.

James is the NBA's leading scorer at 29.9 points per game and has led the Cavaliers to back-to-back 60-win seasons. Meanwhile, the Knicks have lost at least 50 games three straight years and have not had a winning season since 2001.

There's hope in the future for New York. The Knicks, who acquired McGrady in a trade deadline deal back in February, will be more than $30 million under the salary cap when James and other marquee free agents hit the free agent market on July 1.

McGrady, who is making $23 million this season, will consider returning to the Knicks at a discount if he believes they have a chance to win an NBA title. Landing James would be a big step in that direction for New York.

"I would love to be here, be a part of bringing in some players to change the whole situation around," McGrady told the Post. "At the same time, I want to do what's best for me. This is definitely my final run. I want to make sure it's the right decision."

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And if the Knicks continue to stink over the next two years, then the value of the draft picks obtained by the Rockets from the Knicks in the Tracy McGrady trade could truly skyrocket. In which case, Darrel Morey will be hailed as a genius, and the Rockets could end up with high lottery picks in the NBA draft in 2011 and 2012. These players would be added to a solid core group that should be in the thick of the Western Conference playoffs regardless.

I hope McGrady is right. Nothing against the Knicks, but this could be really good news for the Rockets.

[ItsMyFault]

I can probably agree with T-Mac on this LeBron thing. I just see LeBron as set in Cleveland. As much as he loves NY, Cleveland has everything set for him to win a championship or multiple championships better than anyone else. It'd have to be a cinderella story for the Knicks to win a championship their first year LeBron was there even if they had another superstar alongside LeBron.

[emjohn]

Classic chatterbox syndrome. Amazing the difference one month makes. Sounds a lot to me like he's doing some pre-spin for his exit from NY, not-stunningly on the heels of the NY reports that the Knicks aren't certain they want to offer him even the vet min.

Don't give them a chance to not want you! You can't break up with me, I'm breaking up with you first! Has to be on his terms:

Walks from Toronto
Forces the trade from Orlando, giving a list of acceptable teams
Sabotages the Nets trade, since it wasn't his decision
Leverages the eventual deal to the Knicks, since they were his choice (was going to declare war if the Kings didn't agree to the 3-team scenario)
Now this. He'll definitely retire a la Sprewell if he can't get the deal he wants from a team he wants.

McGrady... will consider returning to the Knicks at a discount

Awfully generous of a guy that will be forced to accept whatever contract teams are willing to offer (optimistic ceiling being the MLE).

[vinsensual]

It's McGrady imposing his will through reverse psychology. He's gotta do something if he isn't playing.

Also LOL at him dangling the thought of resigning with the Knicks like it's some coveted prize.

[ItsMyFault]

Originally Posted by emjohn Classic chatterbox syndrome. Amazing the difference one month makes. Sounds a lot to me like he's doing some pre-spin for his exit from NY, not-stunningly on the heels of the NY reports that the Knicks aren't certain they want to offer him even the vet min. Don't give them a chance to not want you! You can't break up with me, I'm breaking up with you first! Has to be on his terms: Walks from Toronto Forces the trade from Orlando, giving a list of acceptable teams Sabotages the Nets trade, since it wasn't his decision Leverages the eventual deal to the Knicks, since they were his choice (was going to declare war if the Kings didn't agree to the 3-team scenario) Now this. He'll definitely retire a la Sprewell if he can't get the deal he wants from a team he wants. Awfully generous of a guy that will be forced to accept whatever contract teams are willing to offer (optimistic ceiling being the MLE).

The NERVE that guy has I tell you!!!!!

[RoxSqaud]

What will Mcgrady say next?....

Stay tuned...

[DreamShook]

Wow the T-mac media meltdown usually takes a couple years..

[sabesque]

Originally Posted by MojoMan "I would love to be here, be a part of bringing in some players to change the whole situation around," McGrady told the Post. "At the same time, I want to do what's best for me. This is definitely my final run. I want to make sure it's the right decision."

That dude is delusional... Am I misreading this, or does it sound like he thinks it's his choice?

How can McGrady not separate Tmac from Orlando who did all those commercials in the past from the guy in the present who is averaging 8 or so points a game?

[The_Yoyo]

man this guy is freakin awesome to watch when he isnt on your team.


you would think his agent would just come over one day and smack him upside with a phone book and tell him to stfu

[RocketRick]

Mcgrady just moved his drama and baggage to NY and now he is ready to move it else where. His daily talks to the media are the best. This is like a Soap Opera, "Days of Mcgrady's Failures". Stay tuned....

[MojoMan]

Even if McGrady moves on, if LeBron James comes to New York, the Knicks may well be able to assemble an all-star cast around him. Lebron James is a future hall of famer and one of the top two marquee name players in the league right now. Also, New York is the most dynamic city in America and it has the largest media market in the country. It has every attractive feature that any professional athlete could ever want, which is why the city itself is a big draw for professional athletes.

If Lebron James comes to New York, this could be a very exciting time for New York Knicks basketball fans over the next few years. If he does not, it could be back to the bottom of the barrel, with no quick fix in sight. Whether Tracy McGrady stays with the team or not is very probably a secondary consideration.

[Karolik]

Lol. The Knicks fans went from loving him to hating him...His nickname there? T-Pain

[acsorelle4]

As King Juan Carlos of Spain said to Hugo Chavez, "Por que no te callas?" In English, "Why won't you shut up?"

Seriously, why won't he shut up?! This is getting painful. Lol!

[professorjay]

LOL, that didn't take long! This dude is a soundbite machine.

I usually avoid the Tmac talk since that's in the past, but I think I'm going to pay attention now. You couldn't make this stuff up.

[Depressio]

Knicks fans ready for T-Mac to GTFO already, too: http://forums.realgm.com/boards/view...f=24&t=1000396

I don't see how anyone could defend this guy these days. Not enough kudos can be given to Adelman and Morey for how they handled him.

[tosweet68]

Originally Posted by MojoMan Even if McGrady moves on, if LeBron James comes to New York, the Knicks may well be able to assemble an all-star cast around him. Lebron James is a future hall of famer and one of the top two marquee name players in the league right now. Also, New York is the most dynamic city in America and it has the largest media market in the country. It has every attractive feature that any professional athlete could ever want, which is why the city itself is a big draw for professional athletes. If Lebron James comes to New York, this could be a very exciting time for New York Knicks basketball fans over the next few years. If he does not, it could be back to the bottom of the barrel, with no quick fix in sight. Whether Tracy McGrady stays with the team or not is very probably a secondary consideration.

This won't be able to happen unless a bunch of players are taking the vet minimums to sign with the Knicks, because IF they get 2 max guys, they won't have hardly anything left to spend. I may be wrong, but I believe because of their cap situation, they will not have an MLE to use.

Even if the Knicks had an All Star lineup, it doesn't mean they will win it all. Just ask the Lakers team that had Shaq, Kobe, Payton and Malone.

[Kojirou]

Originally Posted by Karolik Lol. The Knicks fans went from loving him to hating him...His nickname there? T-Pain

What did T-Pain do to deserve that?

This won't be able to happen unless a bunch of players are taking the vet minimums to sign with the Knicks, because IF they get 2 max guys, they won't have hardly anything left to spend. I may be wrong, but I believe because of their cap situation, they will not have an MLE to use.

Basically yeah. Even if they get Lebron and Wade, the other 8 players will be pretty much be veteran's min players. Return of the Franchise?

[TheRealist137]

Originally Posted by Kojirou What did T-Pain do to deserve that? Basically yeah. Even if they get Lebron and Wade, the other 8 players will be pretty much be veteran's min players. Return of the Franchise?

If they get LeBron and Wade they are automatically a Playoff team in the East, after an offseason they will most likely be contenders for the title for the next 10 years.

[MojoMan]

Originally Posted by tosweet68 This won't be able to happen unless a bunch of players are taking the vet minimums to sign with the Knicks, because IF they get 2 max guys, they won't have hardly anything left to spend. I may be wrong, but I believe because of their cap situation, they will not have an MLE to use. Even if the Knicks had an All Star lineup, it doesn't mean they will win it all. Just ask the Lakers team that had Shaq, Kobe, Payton and Malone.

Well, that is what their strategy supposedly is, if reports are correct. They apparently want to sign 2 max FA's in the offseason, and until recently it was thought they would pair those two with Tracy McGrady. Two max FA's and Tracy McGrady are about as much of an "all star lineup" as any team can reasonably hope to have under the salary cap.

But I agree that this is not a sure-fire strategy by any means. Several teams have assembled "all star lineups" over the years, and I cannot recall even one of them winning the NBA title. This is an idea that looks great on paper, but does not seem to translate smoothly to the court.

In any case, what if McGrady is right and James stays in Cleveland? I know there is a lot of animosity towards McGrady around here, but the bigger story here is how this will impact the future of the Knicks, and for Rockets fans, how will that effect the Rockets. I do not have any inside information, but McGrady's statements about James staying in Cleveland do not sound far fetched to me at all. In fact, based on the Knicks history of mismanagement and foolish decision making, it might be wise for Lebron to think twice before moving to New York.

If James does not go to New York, and if McGrady does not retrun, that could make it more difficult for the Knicks to land even one max FA, unless they just feel the need to indiscriminately throw money at someone who does not deserve it. Which of course the Knicks have an unfortunate history of doing.

[sbyang]

The Knicks aren't getting Lebron, they have a shot at Wade but Chicago has a much better one.

That doesn't mean they'll stink though, they're going to land 2 good players this summer and they'll be one and out in the playoffs for the next 5 years.