source Dec. 4, 2006, 11:55PM McGrady is OK to play tonight Rockets can joke about latest victim of Mutombo elbow By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle There were signs of a full recovery everywhere. Tracy McGrady, less than 48 hours removed from a concussion delivered by a Dikembe Mutombo elbow, went through every drill, ran through every play in Monday's practice with the Rockets. McGrady stayed long after practice, working through shooting drills including his eyes-closed free throws, designed to hone his balance. He reported no remaining symptoms after a Sunday spent with severe headaches, almost entirely in the dark and far from the team's annual holiday party. But aside from McGrady's announcement that he is fine to play tonight against the Golden State Warriors, his recovery was most evident from the way teammates joked. "They're calling me Steve Young," McGrady said. Fortunately for McGrady, who suffered a concussion as a Raptor in a collision with Kevin Willis, he is only halfway to the four concussions suffered by the Hall of Fame quarterback. Filling up fast If Mutombo keeps this up, he might have to build a hospital here, in addition to the one he built in Kinshasa. "I've thought about that. If Dikembe's around, what should I do? I don't know," McGrady said. "It's a very impressive list (of victims). I think Deke sits in the locker room and sharpens them (his elbows) up." McGrady found it interesting that LeBron James had crashed into a Mutombo elbow in the 2004-05 season, but he did not know that James came by the Rockets' bench on Saturday to remind McGrady that Mutombo had done more damage to him, breaking his left eye socket. Of course, McGrady knew little about what went on after the first 11 minutes of Saturday's game. He did not remember that the Rockets initially tried to help him to the locker room only to have to return him to the bench when he became too woozy to make the walk. He did not remember nearly passing out or lying down on the Rockets bench or even leaving the court. He did not even recall the collision or the pain. "They say I blacked out," McGrady said. "I don't remember. The only thing I remember is being in the training room. Yes, (it's frightening) because I don't remember anything. The stuff they were telling me was going on on the bench, I was like, 'I was really doing that?' They say I was lying down, took like five, six chairs up. I don't remember that. For me not to remember, that is freaky." Asked how the hit he took felt, McGrady said, "I don't know." It might be better that way. But with McGrady back and showing no signs of a hangover, the Rockets could crank up the one-liners. "I need to talk to Coach (Jeff Van Gundy) to have Dikembe held out of practice, because if he hits somebody in practice, it's our teammate," center Yao Ming said. "At least in the games, it's 50/50." Van Gundy already requires Mutombo to wear elbow pads at practice, though that has not prevented him from taking out Rafer Alston (twice) and Juwan Howard in collisions this season. "Deke's like a tornado," Van Gundy said. "He sets a destructive path. ... You don't know where or when he's going to hit. You know he will sometime during the tornado season, which for us is from October to hopefully late June." For McGrady, Saturday's knockout gave him consecutive home games in which he was stopped or slowed by an injury. He bruised an abdominal muscle in a collision with Mike James against the Timberwolves. But unlike last season, McGrady got better quickly both times. Had been feeling good By Monday, the pain that seemed to bother him most was not how he felt after the knockout he could not recall, but the memory of how good he felt before he hit the floor. "I had it going," said McGrady, who had seven points, three assists and three rebounds and was looking good throughout his 11 minutes. "I felt like my old self. I thought I was going to go that night." Instead, he was gone, and by Monday, just happy to be back. jonathan.feigen@chron.com
Pictures of the Rockets at the team practice prior to the game with the Golden States Warriors. Yao Ming must be cracking jokes at Mutombo about he once again mis-injured his team mates........ and Mutombo smiled embarassingly.....
Speaking of Wesley, I think the Cavs realize they made a big mistake. His tank is totally dry. Just a matter of time before they cut him.
It should be noted that the above was the photo the Chronicle chose to put on top of this article. I am amused by it. Looks like Dikembe just wacked someone with a softball bat and is happily running away.
It is not the physical portion of McGrady's game that is flagging, it is the mental portion. He has been less than aggressive on far too many occasions. In the Clevland game he was being aggressive and going strong. I will not believe he is ready to play unless he comes out like that against GS. My biggest worry is that the Deke elbow reinforced his playing scared mentality...... Come on back Tmac...take it to the rack. DD
In that game, after he hit the ball for the 1st time, he just stood there. Everybody had to yell at him to run to 1st base- he didn't realize that's what you do in baseball/softball. Deke crack me up.
