[Chron] McGrady irked by Magic GM's latest comments

Looks like this upcoming Rockets/Magic game won't be that friendly of an affair.

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Fighting words, indeed
McGrady irked by Magic GM's latest comments
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/2862643

ORLANDO, FLA. - Finally, Tracy McGrady made a suggestion that John Weisbrod can appreciate.

Weisbrod, the Magic general manager who traded him, had described McGrady as a selfish, underachieving malingerer. Weisbrod, whose only previous GM experience was with a minor-league hockey team, had said that he knew Steve Francis was his kind of guy when Francis slugged Amare Stoudemire.

So finally, after taking verbal shots from Weisbrod for months, McGrady said what he would like to do to the Magic general manager.

It had become time to drop the gloves.

"When you look at some of the comments that he made, you kind of don't want to take the high road," McGrady said. "You kind of just want to grab him by the neck and choke the ... out of him."

McGrady's homecoming tonight will not be that eventful. He said he would choose to remember that he wanted the trade to Houston and was obliged.

But McGrady said Weisbrod had reneged on their agreement to part amicably.

"That's very unusual, especially when you call me and tell me that you're going to take the high road," McGrady said. "Over that whole course of the trade, the GM contradicted himself. First he said I wanted to leave. Then he came back and said, 'Tracy is not my type of player.' Which one is it?

"I really didn't worry about that. I took the high road. I was saying how well they treated me and how much I loved playing there for four years and that everything was cool. But I didn't appreciate how everything went down. You tell me you're going to take the high road and then blast me like that? It just shows the difference in organizations.

"I'm pretty sure the management or organization here has some dirt on Steve. But they didn't go that way. They kept it professional. They didn't put his business out there with issues they probably had with him. That's the difference between this organization and the organization back home."

Negativity a surprise
Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has refused to even hint at dissatisfaction with Francis, Cuttino Mobley or Kelvin Cato, also traded to Orlando, arguing their play last season made them attractive enough for the Rockets to land McGrady.

But Van Gundy said that Weisbrod has been so outspoken in his criticism of one of the seven players in the deal, it might establish a track record in his first year as a NBA general manager.

"I am surprised at how publicly negative their management has been," Van Gundy said. "It shows any player that when they make a decision to move you, you can expect the same treatment."

Weisbrod, attending the NBA Board of Governors meeting, was unavailable for comment on Friday. But there is no disputing that he has been critical of McGrady as, at the least, not his kind of player.

After the deal was completed, Weisbrod praised McGrady's talent but said that McGrady did not work hard enough or have the qualities to make the most of that ability.

"It's not too dramatic to say that he's the most physically gifted player to ever play the game," Weisbrod said. "I think he's more talented than Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

"It's about do you want to work. I'm about players with intangibles. I say that only because my favorite guys are guys with intangibles.

"Guys that want to cover Kobe Bryant. Guys that when you look in their eyes, you know you've got a game on. Maybe he'll develop into that, but I don't think he's that now."

Change necessary
This week, he described McGrady as a problem that could not have been solved with other changes.

"It would be fair to say it was a mutual decision," Weisbrod told ESPN.com. "I would be lying to say I was anxious to have Tracy back.

"Basketball is a team game, and he had developed an attitude of the organization eating out of his hand. It was tough to imagine that, no matter what pieces we changed around him, that we were going to be able to change the culture of this team with him on the team.

"Tracy would say, 'I had my 35 (points), what else did you want me to do?' "

McGrady seemed most offended at that last criticism, saying the Magic's 21-61 season was more painful than winning the scoring title could salve.

"He's entitled to his opinion. Whatever," McGrady said. "He's taken a lot of shots at the guys who are no longer with that organization. We didn't have a good team last year, and it was frustrating for all of us. Me, I did what I could do."

McGrady is not critical of the deal, believing Orlando might have helped itself. But he isn't praising Weisbrod for any improvement in the Magic.

"He didn't really do much," McGrady said. "When you trade somebody of my value, that has a high value, you're going to get something good back. I wanted to be traded so you're going to get something good back and they got Cuttino, Steve and Cato, an All-Star in Steve Francis, and Cuttino I think is a solid player (who is) going to be an All-Star. Cato is getting better."

Before contending that he wanted to move McGrady, Weisbrod had often said he would deal McGrady if McGrady could not assure him that he would not become a free agent after the 2004-2005 season. McGrady said he did not "trust" Magic management enough to offer that guarantee.

With three years left on his contract, but with an option to instead become a free agent after the season, McGrady said he would rather have a contract extension to remain in Houston. Sources with knowledge of the contract talks said this month that they have agreements on contract length, value and payment schedule and that it is in the hands of attorneys.

"I just didn't feel comfortable there, not at all," McGrady said. "I didn't trust the organization.

"But I'll take the high road. I've had my shots at him. That's over with. It's time to move on. I'm on a better team, a great organization, a great city so I'm happy, man."

There will be no showdown. Apparently, the high road does not lead to a fistful of Weisbrod's neck.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

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Rockets Summary
Howard sympathizes
Of the seven players involved in the offseason trade between the Rockets and Magic, the other six combined have not been dealt as often as Juwan Howard. He has been dealt as much in the past three seasons as the other players have between them during their careers.

With the Rockets in Orlando tonight for the first time since the trade, Howard knows what teammates Tracy McGrady, Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines, and former Rockets Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato will experience.

"All players experience butterflies," Howard said. "You're a little nervous, overexcited. You're back home. The fans embraced you. You know a lot of people in the organization and had teammates that you are close friends with."

But Howard said this homecoming could be especially emotional for McGrady because of the criticism from Magic general manager John Weisbrod since the deal.

"From a player's standpoint, no player likes it," Howard said. "It's not good at all, especially when you worked hard for the organization, did things for the community, laid it out on the line on the floor, it's got to be frustrating to see your services are not appreciated."

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said tonight's game will not determine a winner in the trade.

"This is not a referendum on the trade," Van Gundy said. "I think it is important, no matter what is said about (McGrady), he only has to please his teammates, his coaches, his organization and himself. He doesn't have to prove anything. Don't get caught up in the negative."

Rotation tweaking
Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said that besides his usual preseason goals — win and improve — he would use tonight's game to give power forward Clarence Weatherspoon his first playing time of the preseason and move toward solidifying the rotation at backup shooting guard and small forward.

"I want to clarify the backup at two and three," Van Gundy said. "Some guys will get a lot of minutes to give me and give them a better idea about those positions."

Van Gundy said Thursday's game offered signs of progress, but he seemed happier about the work done since the team returned from China.

"We missed some time (in China) we can't make up, practice time," Van Gundy said. "There is no reason to worry about that. It is what it is. But guys did a great job handling the trip and the aftermath."

-- JONATHAN FEIGEN

 

Another interesting tidbit, it looks like they are wrapping up T-Mac's extension.