http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6207762.html "If you read between all the nice words, the Rockets sent a tough message to Tracy McGrady on Monday. To summarize: 1. Get in better shape. 2. Learn to deal with the pain in your left knee. 3. Don’t come back until you do. There were all sorts of things left unsaid as the Rockets delicately attempted to do the right thing for the team while not mentally losing their $21-million star. Conditioning? That’s a tough word to use halfway through an NBA season. Is McGrady’s conditioning an issue because he hasn’t been working hard, or because his surgically repaired left knee won’t allow him to work hard? Pain? Another tough one. The Rockets and their medical staff believe McGrady’s knee is sound and suggested he play through the pain. McGrady has been unable to do this, and it’s important to remember that none of us — including the doctors — knows how badly McGrady is hurting. If he says the pain is intolerable, then the pain is intolerable. Unsettling rotation Rick Adelman is a patient, patient man, but after weeks of not knowing when McGrady would play or how hard he would go when he did play, he seems to have drawn a line in the sand over the weekend. “Pretty much everybody thought something had to be done,” Adelman said. “I think he’s intent on going out and doing what he has to do to get to another level conditioning wise. “It was something he was down about, the way he was playing and the performance he can give. Hopefully, this will give him a better chance … We need him playing at a high level.” Adelman met with McGrady and general manager Daryl Morey on Saturday to come up with a new plan. The Rockets earlier suggested McGrady take another few games off until his left knee allowed him to do the things he normally does. He persuaded them to keep going. This time, he agreed. “He can go through his normal off-season regimen,” Morey said. “He wasn’t able to do that after the surgery.” Adelman has two short-term goals. One is to have the same group on the floor for a few days and see if the Rockets can develop some continuity. Artest won’t play tonight against the Lakers and is uncertain for this weekend. When he returns, the Rockets will have enough talent to beat most teams. This arrangement beats taking McGrady’s pulse each day. It also allows Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks, etc., to know what is expected of them. The Rockets may be good enough to make the playoffs without McGrady. They probably can’t succeed without him. The Rockets haven’t written off McGrady for the season, but they have no idea when he’ll return. “When you’re dealing with an injury, there’s only so much you can know,” Morey said. Difficult times If you’re inclined to criticize McGrady, remember this hasn’t been much fun for him, either. “I talk to him as much as I can, him and Ron,” Rafer Alston said. “It’s been tough for both of them. They’re fighting hard. They could have easily said, ‘Hey we’re going to wait to get healthy,’ but they’re fighting through some games and not able to play through the next. I can see the frustration day in, day out.” Adelman’s offense is based on passing, cutting and moving without the basketball. It requires players to become comfortable with one another, to instinctively react to one another. When there aren’t enough healthy players to develop consistency in practice, there isn’t going to be much flow during games. Pain-killing injections got McGrady through the playoffs last year, and his recovery from surgery has taken far longer to heal than almost anyone thought possible. His 15.4 scoring average is his lowest in nine years, and 6.7 points below his career average. His shooting percentage (38.8) is a career-low, his rebounding average (4.6) the lowest since his rookie year. Through it all, the Rockets are still on a 50-victory pace and have the fifth-best record in the Western Conference. Even with a revolving-door lineup and a laundry list of injuries, they’ve positioned themselves to make the playoffs. To make more than a token appearance requires a healthy, happy Tracy McGrady. They have no idea if they’re going to get that guy this season. If they can’t have him, they prepared to move on with what they have."
