Yahoo Sports sportswriter predicted "Tracy McGrady to get injured again"

I didn't see it in other threads and please delete it if it has been posted.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ApqWEaXcn3QkXVmlDbLmvzmkvLYF?slug=txnbanotes&prov=st&type=lgns

The best from the NBA at midseason

February 5, 2008
(C) 2008 PA SPORTSTICKER, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

By Anthony Olivieri PA SportsTicker Pro Basketball Editor

The NBA will celebrate its midway point this month with All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. Here's a look back at the season's first half and a quick look forward into the future.

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MVP

LEBRON JAMES (Cleveland Cavaliers) - The league's leading scorer and its most unstoppable force in the open floor, James has led the Cavaliers to 12 wins in their last 15 games.

The numbers are stark for the 23-year-old James, who has averaged 30.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 40 games this season. But the most telling number? Cleveland is 0-6 when the superstar forward sits out.

Simply put, he's the league's best player - including Kobe Bryant, who has been outdueled by James twice this campaign - on a team with a legitimate chance to make back-to-back NBA Finals appearances.

HONORABLE MENTION: New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and Bryant of the Lakers each have a legitimate case. But none of them play with James' ragged supporting cast.

TOP COACH

NATE MCMILLAN (Portland Trail Blazers) - McMillan has had a tough task this season in Portland, which lost No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden for the season after microfracture knee surgery prior to the campaign.

The loss of Oden not only weakened McMillan's roster, but it was a psychological burden on the rest of the Trail Blazers, who were expected to make another trip into the lottery without their young big man.

But Portland has been one of the most surprising squads this season, posting a 27-20 record - including 19-6 at home - with a group of second- and third-year performers and the steady hand of McMillan.

HONORABLE MENTION: Hornets coach Byron Scott guides the league's most impressive team, Celtics coach Doc Rivers is at the helm of its most prolific and Sacramento Kings coach Reggie Theus heads the NBA's most resilient club. But McMillan resurrected one of the league's morbid franchises.

TOP ROOKIE

KEVIN DURANT (Seattle SuperSonics) - The second overall pick in June's draft, the 19-year-old Durant has a lot of room for improvement. But there is no doubt that he is the most talented first-year player this campaign.

Durant leads all rookies in scoring with 19.6 points per game for Seattle, which is 12-36 this season. But in their rare wins, the SuperSonics have been buoyed by Durant's late-game heroics.

With some added size and strength, the 6-9, 225-pound Durant can be one of the league's most dangerous scorers. He just needs an improved roster around him because he certainly has the killer instinct to carry his teammates.

HONORABLE MENTION: Atlanta Hawks forward-center Al Horford has been the league's most consistent rookie but his numbers aren't as dynamic as Durant. Toronto Raptors forward Jamario Moon and Milwaukee Bucks forward Yi Jianlian have had their moments but have yet to make their mark.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER

MARCUS CAMBY (Denver Nuggets) - The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Camby already has made a solid case for the honor again this season. The numbers don't lie. He has averaged a league-high 3.9 blocks and 14.3 rebounds - the NBA's second-best mark.

But more importantly, he has given the Nuggets - one of the league's sluggish defensive clubs - a shot in the arm.

The 6-11 Camby dominates the game without needing to score, allowing the fast-paced Nuggets to get out in transition.

HONORABLE MENTION: It was hard not giving this award to Garnett, who has transformed the Celtics into the league's top defensive club. Garnett has done so with a manic intensity, playing hard every single night - a rare feat in the NBA. But Camby's numbers are too eye-popping to pass up.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

CHRIS KAMAN (Los Angeles Clippers) - Consider that just last season Kaman was best known for his blond hair 'do, which made him look more like iconic wrestler Hulk Hogan than a legitimate NBA player.

But the 7-footer from Central Michigan is no joke. After inadvertently injuring Clippers teammate Elton Brand in a workout last summer, he has turned into an All-Star-caliber performer with more playing time.

Kaman has averaged 17.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks - all career highs. He also developed the confidence to go heads up with the league's top pivots, making him the runaway choice in this category.

HONORABLE MENTION: All right, many people will say that Lakers center Andrew Bynum - before his left knee injury - was not only the most improved player in the league but one of the most influential.

Bynum's stellar play in the season's first half satisfied a formerly disgruntled Bryant and transformed Los Angeles into a surprising contender - even before the addition of former All-Star center Pau Gasol.

But Bynum's improvement - while impressive - has been overstated because of the magnitude of the hype surrounding Bryant and the Lakers.

SIXTH MAN

MANU GINOBILI (San Antonio Spurs) - It seems a bit unfair to hand this award to Ginobili, who is a starter playing a reserve's role. But the slick Argentine is doing quite well off the bench - even if he has started the last two games for his injured club.

Ginobili has averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists and has looked fresh doing so, possibly because of his relaxing summer away from his country's national team.

A gold-medalist and multiple-time NBA champion, Ginobili has carried the banged-up Spurs this season - not just their second unit.

HONORABLE MENTION: Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns. It's a distinct advantage to have the fastest player in the NBA coming off your bench to quickly change the game's pace - even if you already are the fast-paced Suns. But Barbosa's numbers are down a bit this season.

SURPRISE TEAM

SACRAMENTO KINGS - Theus has done a phenomenal job with a team which was without its three best players for most of the first half. And what he lacks as a tactician, he makes up for as a motivator.

The Kings also got huge contributions from relative unknowns Beno Udrih, Francisco Garcia and John Salmons, who only will benefit from their time in the sun now that Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Kevin Martin all are back.

Sacramento, which is 22-24 and winners of four in a row, can only get better from here.

HONORABLE MENTION: The Trail Blazers and Hornets both have been great stories but their success was at least somewhat foreseeable. And they didn't have to face the injury obstacles which have haunted the Kings.

WHAT YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE FROM THE FIRST HALF: 1. No one has mentioned disgraced referee Tim Donaghy. 2. The New York Knicks still sell tickets. 3. The East currently has not one but two sub.-500 playoff teams. 4. The 10th-place Blazers in the West would have the fourth-best record in the East. 5. The Miami Heat have less wins than the Minnesota Timberwolves.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN THE SECOND HALF: 1. Pat Riley to finally give up on the Heat, who have given up on him. 2. Sam Cassell to join the Celtics, who need more experience at the point. 3. Tracy McGrady to get injured again. 4. The New Jersey Nets to visit the lottery. 5. The Dallas Mavericks - a 67-win team last season - to emerge as the West's best team.