Tracy McGrady wishes he stayed in Toronto

Everyone says hindsight is 20/20. You always think about what choices, whether good or bad, that you made in the past and how it might have went if you made the opposite choice.

Former NBA star Tracy McGrady thinks about it now that he's retired.

McGrady teamed with his cousin Vince Carter with the Toronto Raptors as a high flying, athletic duo that could have wreaked havoc on the NBA. The team had made it's first playoff run and were poised to become an Eastern Conference contender. Instead, McGrady wanted to get out of Carter's shadow and signed with the Orlando Magic in the summer of 2000. The Raptors eventually fell a Carter jump shot short of knocking off the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals the next season in which McGrady would've made the difference in the seven game series.

Now reflecting on what could have been a legendary NBA career if injuries didn't rob him of his athletic gifts, McGrady says he wishes he stayed in Toronto as told to the Toronto Sun's Dave Feschuk.  

“In hindsight, looking back, obviously I wish I had stayed in Toronto,” McGrady was saying in a recent telephone interview from his home in the Houston area. “There’s no doubt we could have contended for a championship. I think about that often. But if ‘if’ was a fifth, you know?”

“There’s no doubt we would have won that series if I would have been there,” McGrady said. “We had incredible camaraderie. You can’t duplicate that, man. Big brothers, little brothers — we had a mix. And me and Vince were in the perfect situation. You’ve got the two young superstars and you’ve got these old vets. They were our force field. They protected us from anything that happened on that basketball court. They did all the dirty work. And all we had to do was just concentrate on putting the ball in the hoop and guarding who we were guarding. It was just such a great time in my career.

“Had I been a little older and wiser and knew what was ahead of me, I would have stayed, no doubt, with those guys. But that was some of the best times of my life, man. Being with (Charles) Oakley and Kevin Willis and Antonio Davis, Muggsy (Bogues), Dell Curry, Dee Brown. Man. I still talk to a lot of those guys to this day. Because I appreciated how they looked out for me. They were all professionals.”

“At the time I’m trying to make a decision whether to stay in freezing Toronto or go home to Orlando. ... I just thought it was a no-brainer. As I said, if I’d been a little older and a little wiser maybe things would have been different. ... It’s definitely something I always sit back and reminisce about, thinking about Toronto and what we could have been.”

Sounds more factual than sour grapes if you ask me. The Raptors might have been very good, maybe the best in a watered down Eastern Conference back then. The team had a good veteran core and the young superstars to make a run at the finals. But it never happened.

McGrady toiled on some bad Orlando teams and eventually was traded to the Houston Rockets but was never able to get out of the first round of the playoffs.

McGrady doesn't come off as angry. Just reflecting on what might have been had he stayed with the team that drafted him.

  

McGrady Thinks Howard And Williams Will Land In Dallas

Dwight Howard is still waiting to be traded and Deron Williams wants help in New Jersey. The two parties recently had dinner together. It could've been to get an idea of where each other wanted to play at next season.

There is one person who thinks that they will end up playing together. Tracy McGrady. You see, McGrady can predict the future and in his future he sees that Howard and Williams will go and team up with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas. I bet Mark Cuban would love for that to be true. I'd rather have McGrady tell me tomorrow's winning lottery number.

It could happen, since the Mavs jettisoned some contributors from last year's championship team and acquired some cap space. Enough to land the two biggest fish in next year's free agent class.

"D-Will is from Dallas," McGrady said. "You've got Dirk Nowitzki there. They're going to have [cap space] there. That looks sweet. Dirk. D-Will. And then you get Dwight Howard. That's it, right there."


McGrady added: "Dwight's going to find a sweeter spot for him next year with him being a free agent, with D-Will being a free agent, and Dallas already having an established star there. ... Yup, Dallas."


A dream scenario for Mavs fans and a possible nightmare for opponents. I think it won't happen and look for the Los Angeles Lakers to be a player for either one.




  

   

McGrady Set To Fly With The Hawks

Let the NBA free agent frenzy begin. Well kind of.

 According to a report on ESPN, Tracy McGrady has signed a one year deal with the Atlanta Hawks. McGrady played last season with the Detroit Pistons and had a pretty good season for someone considered nearly done. He averaged 8.0 points per game in 23.4 minutes. Not bad for someone that was thrown on the NBA scrap heap.

McGrady can't officially sign with the team until Friday when free agency actually begins. But teams have been allowed to speak to agents for more than a week and could negotiate directly with players as of Monday.


More than likely he'll be backing up Joe Johnson and will be the primary scoring option off the bench since Jamal Crawford will more than likely wearing another uniform this season.

If McGrady still has something left in the tank without getting hurt, it could be a bargain for the Hawks.

  

Heat Might Take A Flier On Grant Hill If, When The Lockout Ends

I do believe there will be an NBA season, just like I used to believe in Santa. It might be a shortened season once again but I don't think the players or owners are that stupid to let a season go to waste.

If and when the lockout ends, the Miami Heat will be looking to improve on their current roster. Here's one possibility that would actually make the Heat a more likable team. The addition of Grant Hill. The Heat are looking for a perimeter defender and either Shane Battier or Hill would fit the bill according to a report in the Miami Herald.

If the Heat cannot sign preferred choices Shane Battier, Grant Hill or Tayshaun Prince postlockout, Miami will consider Michael Redd and Tracy McGrady, among others.


If I had to pick out of those four I would take the first three listed above than the last two. For this reason only. Prince, Hill, or Battier don't need the ball in their hands and don't require many shots. McGrady and Redd probably still think of themselves as starter material. I believe both of them could help a team, but not one with Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, or LeBron James on it already.     


 

McGrady Not Happy With Current Demotion

After the dust settled in Detroit (no pun intended), Detroit Pistons head coach John Kuester has given everyone a clean slate regarding playing time.Those that practice hard will be rewarded. There's even been a Richard Hamilton sighting the past few games. That hasn't made everyone happy in Pistonland.

Tracy McGrady has been on the pine since the mystery protest and he isn't too happy about it. He responded to a question on Twitter about his situation in Detroit with "Looks like I'm (a) day late and dollar short."

He also was asked about finishing his career with the Chicago Bulls, McGrady responded by saying, "That would be a good look."

It might be a good look in Chicago since they have a few non descript players on the wing, except for Luol Deng.

McGrady has played well at times this season, but I wouldn't bring him back and committ to a full time youth movement. That would serve the Pistons better than trying to hang on to the veterans on the team.

Why Is This Man Laughing

The Detroit Pistons have a mutiny on their hands. About half the team decided not to show up for the shootaround in protest of head coach John Kuester.

Kuester's emotions boiled over late in the second quarter in tonight's game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He received two technical fouls for complaining loudly and say words not suitable for television. Kuester was upset about a non call on an Elton Brand pushoff. Well, one of the shootaround offenders, Tracy McGrady, thought the spectacle was pretty funny.

Maybe it's the fact that Kuester will soon be canned and McGrady will still have an NBA career. Joe Dumars, stp down from that ivory tower and take your turn on the sidelines in this joke of a season.  

McGrady Looked Like His Old Self

There were a few why's when the Detroit Pistons signed Tracy McGrady. Some felt he had nothing left and his game was shot. I never questioned the signing, citing this as a classic risk reward deal. It was for one year and didn't cost the mid-level exception. When Joe Dumars made this signing it made me think of the Antonio McDyess signing that paid off handsomely for the Pistons. This could pay off the same way in one form or another. Maybe not a playoff run, but maybe in a trade of some kind. But we know that Dumars' hands are tied in that category.

McGrady showed flashes of his old self last night against the Boston Celtics. This was a good test for someone that wasn't 100 percent entering the season. Considering the Celtics are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA it was good to see McGrady go for 21 points, shooting 7-11, and sharing the ball notching 8 assists. This is in a starting role since Rodney Stuckey is out with the stomach flu.

Everyone still has their mind stuck in the past about T-Mac. He's not the same player he was five years ago and he knows it. Some still expect that out of him. I always said for him to continue to have a job in the league he would have to change his game. He can still go to the hoop, but not with the force and explosion he used to. He has to rely more on guile and experience these days. He also looks like he sharpened up his jumper. With more time on the court he's looking more comfortable.

I thought he would be a lock to sign with the Chicago Bulls, but when that fell through and the Pistons signed him I was anxious to see how he would do with a team that most figure to go nowhere. If he keeps playing like he did last night it'll be tough to get him out of the starting lineup. It also may be tougher to resign him. Who knows, maybe he'll have a show of loyalty like McDyess had for rescuing his career.