by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
As you’ve likely heard by now, Tracy McGrady’s relationship with the Houston Rockets has soured, perhaps to the point of no return.
T-Mac’s employer sent him home for the weekend, disactivating the once co-franchise player for two games. There’s no telling if and when he’ll suit up for the Rockets again.
The Rockets’ über-careful plan of playing him extremely limited minutes (likely out of fear that he’ll tweak or break something else) isn’t sitting well with McGrady, so they’ve decided the best course of action is to not play him any minutes at all.
From the Houston Chronicle:
McGrady, a 6-8 guard/forward, was told Saturday morning he will sit out the weekend back-to-back against the Nets and Cavaliers and was given permission Saturday afternoon to return to Houston from New Jersey. The Rockets host New Orleans on Tuesday.
“I’m a player, man,” McGrady, 30, said. “I don’t make these decisions. I just abide by whatever they bring to me. That’s the plan. I’m not going to argue and fight with them — just run with it. I felt it was time (to increase the routine of playing seven to eight first-half minutes). “I’m not going to cause any confusion or confrontations. As a player, that’s what I felt. They obviously feel different. That’s what I have to roll with.”
It’s very likely that Daryl Morey and the rest of the braintrust in Houston is working the phones and emails very hard to try and find a trade partner for the former scoring champ. McGrady is clearly no longer in the long-term picture for the Rockets.
It would be ideal for both sides if Tracy found a new home, and soon, but that’s obviously no guarantee. And if that doesn’t happen, things will be tense and awkward in Houston for a while.
UPDATE: McGrady has officially asked for a trade, and Morey appears ready to try and make that happen, beginning by granting T-Mac an indefinite leave of absence. The Houston Chronicle has the latest.—Ed.
