DALLAS — Tracy McGrady has waved the red flag. He has come to the realization his left-knee pain probably won’t ease this season and that fans won’t get to see the old T-Mac until next season.
But McGrady said he believes if he stays healthy enough to play and help the team in small ways, such as a playmaker and rebounder, then he will get a contact somewhere next season. But as far as the acrobatic artist and dominant go-to guy, forget about it.
“I know I’m not healthy,” McGrady said at FedEx Forum after a four-point outing vs. Memphis Friday. “I’m not healthy to go out there and be as effective as I wanted to be every night. It’s not happening and I have to have patience with it. I’m not going to allow myself to get discouraged and not believe it’s going to get better when I truly believe it is. ”
If McGrady’s audition doesn’t get better, Knicks team president Donnie Walsh has to decide whether he is worth the gamble and evaluate whether he will have new legs next season.
Because right now, McGrady is a shell of the player he was like Willie Mays was with the Mets. The Knicks, who faced Dallas last night, are a better team with Bill Walker on the court and T-Mac on the bench. In the Memphis loss, Walker ignited the Knicks’ huge fourth-quarter comeback while McGrady sat.
“[The pain], that’s why it’s hard for me to the go the basket,” McGrady said. “I’m just not that confident. It’s going to take time to get confidence in my legs which I really don’t have right now.’
At times, McGrady sounds like Allan Houston during his many failed comeback attempts from microfracture surgery. With the Knicks out of the playoff race, coach Mike D’Antoni has the luxury to suffer through McGrady’s many off nights.
“As long as I make it through the rest of this season. Running, rebounding making plays I don’t think I have to go out there and really show I’m my old self,” McGrady said. “I think just being healthy is what everybody’s concerned bout. If I’m healthy, my game’s going to be there.”
In the past five games, McGrady has played four of them, averaging 6.3 points, with the Knicks losing each one. In the game he missed, the Knicks beat Atlanta.
It’s sad to watch McGrady now, often uninvolved in the offense. He still has been a friendly force in the locker room, full of personality.
“You know what I miss. I truly miss being in close games down the stretch of games, being able to take over a game,” McGrady said. “I miss that. I miss that competition. Right now it’s, damn, I’m shaking my head.”
Walsh knew McGrady was a risk, which is why for months he wanted this deal to clear more cap space. But when D’Antoni got McGrady, he called him his best player — a statement that needed amendment. Within days, D’Antoni admitted McGrady could take a dip like Amare’ Stoudemire did when they were in Phoenix after his microfracture surgery.
“He’s dealt with it before with Stoudemire,” McGrady said of D’Antoni. “After he had his surgery he had an awful year. Its’ something I have to deal with. I’m trying to get through it the best way I can. It’s quite difficult going from where I used to be, seeing how I am right now. It’s difficult. But I got a summer to really just work my butt off and prepare for the next season.”
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According to a source, the Knicks preseason trip to Italy and France has been altered. Originally, the Knicks thought they would be playing in Rome and Paris. But now the Knicks will instead play in Milan, home of Danilo Gallinari and where D’Antoni starred as a player and coach.