Tracy McGrady has been mentioned in trade rumors that last several weeks, but Rockets owner Leslie Alexander revealed Tuesday that the team has decided to take him off the trading block. "You don't get superstars that often," Alexander told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.That's kind of Alexander to say, but it seems there's another reason why McGrady won't be dealt: ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported Tuesday evening that McGrady informed him that he'll miss the rest of the season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee. Anyone who saw McGrady get stuffed by the rim on a dunk attempt last week can't possibly be surprised.
Losing McGrady obviously hurts Houston's playoff chances, though it's worth pointing out the team is 13-6 without him this year. Surprising? Well, even when in the lineup McGrady has been a shell of his former self -- he's averaged just 15.6 points per game, six fewer than last season and nine fewer than two years ago.
With that in mind, losing McGrady is hardly a death knell to Houston's playoff chances -- to replace him the Rockets can simply shift Ron Artest to shooting guard and start Shane Battier and Luis Scola at the forward spots. That lineup is tough as nails defensively, and when they need scoring, they can simply unleash Von Wafer (who scored 19 in 28 minutes against the Nets on Tuesday) off the bench.The Rockets are a shade below the elite teams in the West, but they were even before McGrady went down.
Obama Defends 'Transparent' NSA Program
Obama Wary Of Syria Mission Creep
Supreme Court Strikes Down Arizona Voter Registration Law
Couple Accused Of Forcing Nanny Into 'Involuntary Servitude'
PHOTO: New Yorker Cover Jabs Obama Administration
Issa Keeps Selectively Leaking IRS Transcripts
Ted Cruz Attempts To Derail Immigration Bill
Supreme Court Rules That Pre-Miranda Silence Can Be Used In Court
Former Bush Adviser Defends The 1 Percent
Because No Conservative Conspiracy Theorist Has Made This Claim In A Few Hours...
Brazil's Protesters Take To The Streets Again
Jeb Bush Dismisses Conservative 'Chirpers'
Papua New Guinea Teen Beheads Father After Rape: Report
LOOK: The Mystery That's Stumped Feds For DECADES
White House Threatens To Veto Anti-Abortion Bill
Rick Perry Makes Another 'Oops'
McDonald's Franchise Allegedly Forced Fee-Heavy Debit Cards Onto Employees
Edward Snowden: I'm Not A Spy
Food Stamp Cuts Draw White House Veto Threat
Obama Administration Reveals Full List Of Guantanamo Indefinite Detainees
'I Just Don't Get What We're Doing Here'
Hitman Testifies On Bungled Murders, Crooked FBI, Broken Heart
Media's Edward Snowden Haters Club Keeps Growing
Apple Is Cooperating With The Government, But Just Barely
50 Best Employers For Post-50 Workers In 2013
Blind Chinese Dissident Says Communist Pressure Forced Him Out Of NYU
Edward Snowden's Father Calls On Son Not To Release Any More Information
Google Will Try To Eradicate All Of The Internet's Child Porn
China Asks U.S. To Explain Surveillance
