Best Scenario For Houston Rockets and Tracy McGrady

    There are a lot of opinions about what the Rockets should do about Tracy.  Some are good, some are bad, some are dumb, and clueless.  I want a win-win for the Rockets and Tracy McGrady.  I'm hoping the Rockets do what's best for the organization.....first.  I expect them to.  How they go about it is another concern.  

    This team isn't going to win a championship the way they're constructed.  And that is what they should be planning for. The other injury situation concerning Yao also comes into play here.  I don't see how they can game plan that Yao, (an injury prone player himself) is going to come back 100% the player he was. Any and everything concerning Yao must be prefaced with a big IF.  In fact, I don't see how they can game plan with him at all.  IF, and its a big IF, he does come back, he will be in the same situation as Tracy,  at the end of his contract, and coming off a major injury.

(update), An article/conversation with Ilgauskas about his foot problems, rehab and comeback confirms my point.  It will be a long, slow road back for Yao Ming.  That blows up one of my poll questions.  In all likelihood, there won't be a "pairing" next year to use as bait to lure a "superstar" to Houston.  

     It appears the best scenario is to simply let the clock run out on Tracy's contract, and you have the 22+ mil to lure a free agent to Houston.  But this has legitimate questions.  Why would a "superstar" interested in winning a championship come here? Players do talk to each other on various teams.  Oh sure, you could probably get somebody like a Chris Bosh to come here for MONEY, but a championship?  No.

  You need more than one superstar to win a championship. Rockets management knows this, (but won't publicly state it), players and their agents know this. You need 3 very good players to compete for it.  It could be done with 2, but they have to be in the top 5 like Kobe and Shaq were when they won.  Pairing one superstar with Yao Ming coming off a major injury isn't a sound plan for a championship.  You can sell that to fans that don't know any better, but you're not winning a championship with that plan. 

    Trading Tracy's contract for other contracts (they have to be within 25% of each other), doesn't make sense either.  In fact, unless you're getting a superstar better than Tracy, (what team is going to do that???) that won't happen. 

    If I'm Tracy's agent,  I'm slapping a muzzle on his mouth, and imploring him to slowly work his way back from the surgery.  I take the Rocket's publicly stated position even further.  I don't want to see him (on the court) until AFTER the trade deadline, and then in a different role. Let the Rockets continue to rely on Brooks, Ariza and whoever to lead the team.  Once it's clear the Rockets are going to run out the clock on his contract (meaning he's not part of the future plans),  I'm encouraging him to prepare for his next team as well.  Get healthy, get your timing back, keep your mouth shut.  He's not going to get a big contract, he knows that. He knows until he can demonstrate he's capable of playing at a high level, there is no money. And he has to accept the fact he's injury prone. No team in their right mind will be building around him, he's going to be the wingman to some other superstar now.     

      So, look for a team that could use his services without expecting him to carry the whole team.  San Antonio looks like a team that could use his services, a good fit.  So does Denver, Dallas, Celtics, Heat, Cavaliers (if they retain Lebron).  Play for the mid level exception and have a legit shot at the championship. 

     Of course, he'll be labeled selfish (by some columnists) for looking out for himself,  but that wouldn't be true.  And he has never been selfish here in Houston. I'm sorry, but playing injured last year wasn't selfish, it's SELFLESS.   In fact, he's been much less vocal than say, Kobe Bryant last year, who attempted to force a trade in preseason, questioned his team's management priorities, which parlayed into a lopsided trade that brought in Pau Gasol.  Amazing what pairing good players Bryant, Gasol, Odom, and Bynum will do huh?