By JEFFREY MARTIN Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle Rockets training camp begins today, and Tracy McGrady was asked Monday how and where he plans to spend the next few weeks after general manager Daryl Morey announced the star guard would be held out of action while continuing rehabilitation until late November. “I'll stay at home since they won't let me practice, sit on my couch and watch TV,” he said with a straight face before grinning. “Nah, I'll be here working. I'm back.” McGrady said he feels better, seven months removed from microfracture surgery on his left knee, than he did at any point during the 2008-09 season, when he was limited to 35 games and averaged 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and five assists. “It's like night and day,” McGrady, 30, said. “Jumping, running, cutting, better mentally.” Still, caution is emphasized, which explains why Morey said an MRI will be administered and examined before McGrady can return Nov. 23, a timeline that apparently hadn't been relayed to him. Asked the significance of the date, McGrady said: “It's the day before my wife's birthday.” Consensus reached Everyone is in agreement, according to Morey. “He wants to be 100 percent when he gets back,” Morey said. “He wants to be able to go on back-to-backs, to be able to fit in with the up-tempo style we're doing. He wants to be 100 percent. We want him 100 percent.” McGrady rushed back onto the court in 2008-09, and, as he said Monday, “all hell fell loose.” Because of the injury, he said he grew frustrated because he wasn't in top form. As a result, he said he started to fall out of love with the game. He heard the questions and the doubters. Then he moved to Chicago, where he lived the past seven months. McGrady said that under the guidance of trainer Tim Grover, he was pushed, from a physical and mental standpoint, like never before. At times, the workouts were so strenuous, he said, he blacked out. But he never gave up, and McGrady believes he might have dispelled a nagging myth along the way. “He had to apologize to me,” McGrady said of Grover, whose high-profile clients include Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Gilbert Arenas and Dwyane Wade. “You can read a lot in the press about ballplayers, read things on the Internet about how hard they work. You just don't do some of the things I've done on the basketball court without working hard. I don't give a damn about how much talent you have. You have to work hard. That's the huge misconception about myself. Dispelling a myth “He had to apologize. He saw how hard I worked in some of the things he put me through. “That, right there, gave me a lot more confidence, because he's trained the best. Who works harder than Mike? Just hearing him say that gave me a boost of confidence.” McGrady said he feels as if he could go all out now. He won't, of course, because there's no rush. And he doesn't need to prove himself in the final year of his contract. “I'm here to prove to myself that I'm capable of coming back from this injury and being the type of player I want to be,” he said. “If I do that, the contract will take care of itself.” Ready to run He said he's excited about the up-tempo style the Rockets will employ because he made a name for himself in a similar style — even if his coach, Rick Adelman, doesn't sound as if he's getting his hopes up. “If Tracy McGrady gets healthy and can play, he's going to make my life a lot easier,” Adelman said. “But if he can't, I have to deal with what we have and try to bring these other guys along.” McGrady is sure he can play. When? That's to be determined. “Trust me, I'm here,” McGrady said. “Can't you see it on my face? The glow?” mailto:jeffrey.martin@chron.com http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6642119.html
I have no doubt he worked hard over the summer. What bothers me is how quickly he seems to fold under adversity whether that be nagging injuries, personal problems or even physical defense. I don't see how that could have changed after all of these years.
Imagine how much hype will be built up between now and nov.23, how many more article's like this will we see? At least he still has his since of humor about this, I don't. If they weren't going to let him practice, they should have let him stay in Chi-town with Grover, but since he's here, I hope he doesn't become a distraction to this young team.
I think he will work on basketball more there days. That's why he doesn't need Tim. He will do more conditioning, running etc since his knee is already strong and ready.
He would be a distraction if the team were expecting him to play. Now they know he won't be around until later,if at all.
if he's really blacking out from the workouts that he's having then i will partially believe right now that he is back? ... sorta laughed at myself when i wrote that
Let's hope so, I just think it's put up, or shut up time, so I really don't want to hear from him until he's ready, and the teams ready, to put him on the court. I understand media day, but I want the focus to shift from Mcgrady's problems, to the team and our core of young players.
Summary of Media day I guess... But I don't understand the title of this thread/article. He's still carefree?
carefree.....as in he doesn't care about his teammates or the game of basketball.....and during that press conference all he seemed to talk about and care about was how tmac was doing all this hard work and rehab for himself.....to prove to himself that he can come back....and maybe he needs a new contract too..
Well, that's all the reporters seemed to ask about. He was answering questions. -- It was in essence, an interview.
“I'll stay at home since they won't let me practice, sit on my couch and watch TV,” he said with a straight face before grinning. -T-mac Oh, you mean like last summer.
to a degree you're right, but he didn't even give a hint that he cares about getting back to help the team out.....i mean it was all about tmac and nobody cares about the work tmac has put in over the years to become the tmac that he was before and the tmac that he will be once again soon very soon......meanwhile the team has been missing $23M of production on the court which tmac happily pockets and at the same time whines that aint nobody give him the love and props that tmac should have coming to him... i want what's only best for the rockets and tmac when he is on is a phenomenal player.....but i don't think his mental makeup will ever allow him to lead this team deep in the playoffs.....he's not gonna run adelman's offense or play D and he's not gonna sacrifice for his teammates...
