http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/5448870.html Jan. 12, 2008, 12:13AM COMMENTARY Trade rumors keep McGrady in stitches By JEROME SOLOMON Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle During his respite from the Rockets due to a knee injury, Tracy McGrady has been enjoying the comedy stylings of NBA writers and bloggers. Quite entertaining. "Good evening ladies and germs. Tracy McGrady, Jason Kidd and Luol Deng walk into a bar ... " All of the jokes end with McGrady being traded, and every time McGrady hears one he chuckles. "I sit back and I laugh because it's real funny to me," McGrady said. Can't you picture it? To Chicago for Ben Wallace. "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha." To New York for Stephon Marbury. "Oh, please stop, you're killing me." There is a lot of laughter around Toyota Center these days. The Rockets found themselves in quite a laugher without McGrady on Friday night, as they rolled the Minnesota Celtics, er, Timberwolves. (Not that McGrady is in his class — at least he is enrolled at the same school — but Minnesota's trade of Kevin Garnett for almost half of Boston's roster shows you what you sometimes get when you trade a player from that school. The Timberwolves are 5-30.) The 113-82 pounding of Minnesota to start a five-game homestand is the Rockets' fifth straight victory. All have been without McGrady, who has a strained popliteus tendon, patellar tendinitis and a bruised bone in his left knee. (Insert joke here about McGrady spending undue time in the nurse's office.) The team's excellent play of late — there is movement in Rick Adelman's offense after all — has some wondering if the Rockets are better when McGrady isn't in the lineup. Nothing to rumors Ridiculous. But trade rumor fires are fueled by teams playing below expectations. Count the Rockets among those teams. After a loss to Boston the day after New Year's Day, the Rockets were two games below .500. Still, none of the trade rumors are coming from within. General Manager Daryl Morey hasn't fielded any phone calls about McGrady and certainly hasn't made any. McGrady squelched any thoughts he is starting them. "There was a rumor that I said I was unhappy here and I wanted to go to Chicago and I never said anything about Chicago, or anything about being traded," McGrady said. "This happens when teams are trying to make deals and they throw names in there. It is what it is." What it is, is an irritant that McGrady has not allowed to bother him. For now. When he returns to the court — probably next Saturday against the Spurs — that could quiet the rumors ... if the Rockets continue to play well. McGrady might laugh off trade rumors, but he doesn't think the idea that his absence from the lineup is what the team needed to get on a roll is particularly funny. Does his presence keep Rafer Alston from playing like he has of late? Does No. 1 in the lineup keep Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks from contributing? Hardly. The Rockets are playing better, and it is about time. With their recent schedule, it really was about time. "I think if you look at our schedule and some of the teams that we've been playing, it hasn't been the Dallases and San Antonios," McGrady said. "Although we have been playing extremely well, I think more so our schedule (has been) in our favor. "It'll be interesting to see when we face those teams, if I'm not playing — like New Orleans (on Sunday afternoon) and the better teams in this league — to see how much improvement we've really made." In other words, he knows the Rockets aren't as good without him as they are with him. They just haven't been as good with him (13-12 in the games he started) as they need to be or should be. If they played the NBA's version of the Washington Generals every night, McGrady's return wouldn't matter so much. But the Rockets will not see the T-Wolves again until February. They won't see the Knicks, who they have beaten twice in the current season-high winning streak, again this season. They will see McGrady, however. Pain continues Right now, he still has pain in his left knee. He doesn't have the confidence to make cuts on it, and he is not in game shape after missing nine consecutive contests. Yet the Rockets are rolling. Don't look now, but the Rockets are a half-game behind Golden State for the eighth-best record in the Western Conference. There is no reason to believe the Rockets won't continue to roll when McGrady returns to the lineup. They had better. Trade rumors are a lot less funny when you're losing. Listen to Jerome Solomon weekdays from 2-5 p.m. on 97.5 FM. jerome.solomon@chron.com
Mcgrady laughs at those rumours I would too Actually I laugh at many of you making up stupid ass trades. That clearly aren't equal. Keep the jokes coming
Yeah, right. I'm sure he got no phone calls and in the event that he did, I'm sure he hung up immediately.
What else is the GM suppose to say? Why ruffle the feathers of a high maintenance player? It all boils down to the next six weeks. If the Rockets aren't a top eight team by the trade deadline, I firmly believe that anything is possible.
From now on if anyone starts a thread about "Tmac getting traded", "Tmac unhappy with Rockets", or something similar to this... lets all post with laughters like this.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Deal?!
1. he didn't clear the rumor that he said he's unhappy in houston. 2. he attributed our recent success to the easy schedule.
A lot of new rooks on here did not want to listen to reason just spout off their mouth to hear their head rattle and amaze us with their brilliance! Just about every trade scenario was a LOSS for the Rockets! In other words, why do you do the trade if you're not going to significantly improve your team? Though a few potential additions would be intriguing no doubt ... Corey Maggette or Shawn Marion but, at what price? Do we really benefit in the long run? Some wanted to get Sam I AM back. People he's 38! He doesn't have much left in the tank. Not that I'm saying the Rox are back on track because until they dispatch of the Nawlins, San Antonios and Dallases, and (the WC elite teams), everything else is an uphill battle if they don't take care of business within the division. In the next 3-4 weeks, they play Nawlins, the Spurs here on the 19th, the Mavs later in Feb and then, again in Dallas early March. They must make headway on these games or we're gonna be fighting in quicksand. Nonetheless, the competition level of the Rockets' play has been inspiring. Landry definitely should start getting some more minutes consistently (10-15) even if that means Hayes minutes go down because you're not keeping Scola off the court that's for sure. All this is a very good thing for the Rockets, competitive fire breeds intensity which sparks teams to be play harder and be more aggressive. Some were saying earlier in the season RA was a bum and a loser. This just in, this dude is a genius ok. He's found combinations by omission mostly plus, some rooks that are nipping at vets heels for playing time and now virtually no one is playing with a comfort zone. You see more of a sense of urgency. You see Yao playing like a winner. Not forcing but just taking whatever the D gives him but at the same time is playing very aggressively and is NOW starting to take the ball to the basket with AUTHORITY! Good call bandwaggoner naysayers! Adelman wherever he's gone, he's won. Let me repeat that wherever Adelman has gone he's WON! Most talent and skill collectively he's ever had. But, Rick's a bum, right? Frankly some of you all on here don't deserve to called fans. Bandwaggoners aren't fans! I HATE BANDWAGGONERS! Enough said.
Usually when a team wants to trade one of their players, they let it be known. That is usually how it works. How else are they suppose to get the best offer they can find?
isn't that just bull crap, the ROX lost to worst teams when he was playing like Memphis and Philadelphia and they competed really hard against strong teams like Detroit and Boston. TMAC, it is not always about you you know.
Yeah, because when you play basketball, you can't laugh at all. Not even after the game. You must be mad at all times and show no happiness whatsoever.
