http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/sportstoryS0528MAGIC.htm
Having already endured a dreadful 21-61 season, McGrady told FLORIDA TODAY that he has no desire to go through a long-term rebuilding process or witness the growing pains of a kid making the leap from the preps to the pros. McGrady can opt out of his contract following next season, and says that he will have an answer as to his future in Orlando for the Magic brass by July.
He said he's "90 percent sure what he's going to do," adding that there are two teams -- the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs -- that he would like to play for if he decides to leave Orlando. He stressed that the deciding factor will be the Magic's ability to significantly upgrade the roster this summer via trades, free agency and the draft.
"The dilemma for the franchise is, 'Do you want to try and win now or wait two or three years for a guy to develop?' " McGrady said from his home in suburban Orlando. "I'm just saying, I'm not trying to wait that long to win. I was in that situation last year and I just can't see going another couple of years losing and waiting on players to develop. I just don't think I can do that.
"I just think that it would be best to go get a guy ready to fill a role and contribute right away."
In addition to having to decide between taking the player most ready to contribute right away (likely Okafor) or the player with the most superstar potential (likely Howard), Orlando must also weigh the worth of the pick in a possible trade. That scenario would be the most likely to appease McGrady, the NBA's scoring champion the past two seasons. McGrady has said repeatedly that the Magic need more established veterans if they are to rebound from this year's disastrous collapse and make a serious run at the playoffs next spring.
"I absolutely don't want to be in a situation like I was this season because that was terrible," said McGrady, referring to the Magic enduring a 19-game losing streak en route to compiling the NBA's worst record. "I love Orlando because it's home and I love the fans. They have been great to me. I don't want to leave and I'm sure a lot of them don't want me to leave either.
"But if we can't change the team this summer, I just think the best thing would be for me to move on."
McGrady said an earlier report that he had given the Magic four teams he would accept a trade to was "half right." He has a close relationship with Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, his Isleworth neighbor in the summer. And he would be interested in playing with the Spurs because of the opportunity to play alongside of two-time MVP Tim Duncan.
McGrady informed Team USA coach Larry Brown on Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the Summer Olympics in Athens because of terrorism concerns. Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant have also pulled out because of various reasons. McGrady said that he was totally taken aback Thursday morning by reports that he was opting not to play because of a pending marriage.
"I woke up and read that in the papers and I was shocked," he said with a laugh. "Next thing I know, my girl is calling me and saying, 'I didn't know we were getting married.' . . . I just had concerns about the whole thing and decided to stay home and be safe."
Speaking of safe, the safe pick in the draft for the Magic might be Okafor. He led UConn to the national championship with his rebounding and defensive toughness on the low block. Okafor's positives include his three years of college experience, his smarts and his prowess at blocking shots. But some wonder if he can ever be more than a steady player because of concerns about his size, offensive skills and lingering back troubles.
Include McGrady in that group of doubters.
"From what I'm hearing, (Okafor) is really not 6-10 and he's more like 6-8," McGrady said. "Now, if he has the heart and determination like a Ben Wallace, it won't matter how tall he is. I'm not questioning the guy's ability, but there seems to be a lot of unknowns out there now."
if you ask me, i think some may tend to question Tracy McGrady's "heart & determination" more than they would that of Emeka Okafor...
i've never seen such a freakin' WHINING, selfish baby like T-Mac in my life! this guy can't seem to grasp the fact that as the Captain of that franchise, he can't be out in the media saying stuff like this & expect to have his teammates' respect next season.
what a crybaby! i think Orlando would be best served to trade him now while they can get good value for him...he's clearly not a winner when he can't even accept some accountability for his own team's failures...he just places the blame on upper management...that's not the type of player i'd want as my franchise player...
listening to a guy like T-Mac talk about "winning" cracks me up...as if this guy had any INKLING of what it takes to be a winner in this sport...he hasn't been a winner on any level of competition as far as i know...maybe in Junior High School or something. :rolleyes:
i think T-Mac needs to keep his mouth shut on topics such as "winning", "heart", "determination" & "team"...he clearly has not 1 iota of a clue on any of those topics.
i'm sick of all these pro athletes complaining & whining about having to play for a losing team...guys like him never accept any of the blame themselves.
maybe if he had concentrated on helping his teammates play better instead of racking up his own stats, his team would have been better last year? i mean, no one is under the illusion that his team would have made the playoffs, but at least be better than what their record indicated...people talk about him as 1 of the best players in the game...until he can raise the level of the players who play w/him, i think he has more to prove to be considered among the top 3 or 4 in the game...& even if he can't, he shouldn't be saying stuff like this in the media when he's the captain of that team...
i think T-Mac needs to grow up & be a man & stop whining about what management is doing...they took a risk & it backfired bigtime when they signed Grant Hill to all that money...it doesn't help them solve it by him being a baby & threatening to leave unless they fix the problem right away...that's not what a leader does...& that's not how a winner approaches a situation like that either imo.
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
