T-Mac: "I Will Be a Lot Better Than I Was Last Year"

Tracy McGrady says he will be playing for the Houston Rockets next season, and he says he will be 100-percent.

In an interview with KRIV-TV during his rehab stint in Chicago, McGrady said that his left knee feels stronger than it did last season, when he cut his season short to have micro-fracture surgery on it. Today, T-Mac feels confident that he will be a major contributor to the Rockets in the upcoming season.

"It's really no comparison to how I feel now and I how felt trying to play all of last season," McGrady said.

"My knee is feeling extremely strong. The most important thing is I'm confident in it. You guys just stay tuned. I'm out here grinding in Chicago, trying to get back right, but yes, I will be playing for the Rockets in the '09-10 season. I will guarantee you that."

McGrady did not give a timetable on when he will be ready to play for the 2009-10 season, but feels that he will be the T-Mac of old when he is ready to play.

"I'm not really worrying about a target date right now," McGrady said. The most important thing is just to get myself healthy, which I'm confident that I will be for this upcoming season.

"I feel that if I go out there right now I could get somebody 30 (points)."

McGrady is training with Tim Grover of Chicago-based Attack Athletics. Grover, who is affiliated with many athletes, has worked with NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen.

McGrady is motivated to return to the Rockets despite the constant news of him possibly being traded during this offseason.

"It's just been rumors," McGrady said. "I've been contacting (Rockets general manager) Daryl (Morey) and those guys over at the Rockets organization. When things are bad, everybody wants to speculate and throw rumors out there.

"I've been in this league too long to know that it's all BS. As long as I'm in contact with those guys upstairs, I know what's going on. I don't even worry about what the media puts out there."

The question is: do the Rockets believe that T-Mac is worth the wait, or does this boost his trade value some to make a move?