Jeff Van Gundy believes Tracy McGrady would work out just fine with the Knicks, if he’s traded here.
The former Knicks and Rockets coach cited McGrady’s passing ability and basketball intelligence — but added one big proviso: McGrady’s health.
“If he’s healthy, which I think everything is based on his health … he’ll play well anywhere in the NBA, any city,” Van Gundy, now an ESPN analyst, told The Post yesterday.
McGrady, coming back from microfracture knee surgery, has played just six games this season after playing only 35 last year.
“That surgery is obviously a very significant surgery, and he hasn’t played significant minutes in a long time,” said Van Gundy, who coached McGrady for three years in Houston.
“So to expect him when he does come there to be really good right away, I think would be a stretch, because he hasn’t played a lot of basketball.”
If McGrady is healthy, Van Gundy said, Garden fans would appreciate his game.
“He is most thought of as a prolific scorer, but I think his greatest attribute is he’s one of the best passing wing players to have ever played the game,” the former coach said.
“He’s a great pick-and-roll player, and he’s going to get guys really good shots.”
Van Gundy also called McGrady “a great defender” who has “an incredibly high basketball IQ.”
“Father Time started to chip away at some of that athleticism,” Van Gundy said.
“But he’s still a good athlete who’s incredibly unselfish and really understands how to play basketball. So I think that would endear him to the New York fans.
“But a lot of it depends on if they are able to acquire his services, which is still a big if, whether he is there for a short term or long term. You can’t fall in love with a guy in 30 games.”