Tracy McGrady To Miami Heat: Why Isn't It Being Considered?
At some point, reality will set in for Tracy McGrady.
The fallen star continues his world tour in a quest to land a job. Most recently, his journey took him to Chicago, where he met with Bulls management to address concerns over his health and willingness to take on a reduced role.
He then provided a glimpse into his massive ego during a brief session with media, by saying that his presence would make the Bulls 30 points better and adding that he deserves a chance to start.
It's time for T-Mac to eat a gigantic piece of humble pie.
McGrady will likely have to look elsewhere for work. One possible destination that hasn't been mentioned is Miami.
Here's a look at the good and the bad that McGrady would bring to South Beach.
The Good: Perimeter Shooting
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The Heat's supporting cast should provide plenty of help for Miami's dynamic threesome, but on glaring weakness remains:
Perimeter shooting.
Mike Miller is the only player on the Heat's roster who is better than a 40 percent shooter from three-point range for his career.
The Heat are hopeful that James Jones will rediscover his touch, but if not, McGrady could be an option.
A career 33 percent shooter from three-point range, McGrady has always been more of an off-the-dribble shooter. His tendency to take difficult shots has certainly adversely effected his three-point percentage.
If McGrady is willing to focus on his perimeter shooting and take a dramatic reduction in minutes, his addition could pay off for the Heat.
The Good: Scoring Punch Off The Bench
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Tracy McGrady has always been able to score. He had his moments last season with the Knicks and would be able to stay fresh while playing limited minutes with the Heat.
The Heat have a decent bench, but there isn't much scoring punch. An injury to Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, or Mike Miller would have crippling consequences for Miami.
If McGrady could put in a few baskets in 10-15 minutes off the bench, his presence would make the Heat a better team.
The Good: Depth
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Miami's bench is nearly complete, but could certainly use an upgrade at a few positions.
Frankly, aside from Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Udonis Haslem, there are no sure things.
Miami's lack of depth could be enough to prevent it from an NBA Title run.
McGrady could provide at least a little insurance for the Heat.
He is a proven scorer and a legitimate NBA player who even at this point is a better option than James Jones or Da'Sean Butler, who is still recovering from his knee injury.
The Good: Experience
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The pressure-cooker will be turned up in Miami next season. If the Heat are forced to use young, cheap players in rotation because of injuries, the results could be catastrophic.
Pat Riley has assembled a nice group of veterans, but it never hurts to add more experience. At 31, McGrady has 13 years of experience.
Although he has never made it out of the first round of the playoffs, he has appeared in the postseason seven times.
Experience matters, especially in the case of the Miami Heat.
The Good: Just Enough Left In The Tank
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It's difficult to believe McGrady's comments regarding his health. He repeatedly has said that he has "never felt better" after undergoing microfracture surgery.
But even if he is at about 80 percent, he is still better than other options available to the Heat.
McGrady doesn't need to play starter's minutes. If he contributes 10-15 minutes per game and is rested in the second night of back-to-back games, his body would be unlikely to completely break down.
As long as his minutes are limited, T-Mac could have a positive impact.
The Bad: Attitude
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Allen Iverson has become the poster-child of a veteran who just can't seem to grow up.
McGrady isn't far behind.
His ridiculous comments to the media after meeting with the Bulls Monday offered a reminder of his inflated sense of self-worth.
If the Heat sign McGrady, they will risk the possibility of adding a declining player who still believes he can play at an All-Star level. Instead of focusing his efforts on trying to win a NBA Title, T-Mac could spend his time trying to politic his way into the game.
The Bad: Distraction
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With McGrady's large ego comes the possibility of conflict and distractions.
As if there already isn't enough going on in Miami, McGrady's presence could provide a side show to the Wade-LeBron-Bosh main act.
McGrady's whining and complaining probably wouldn't be tolerated. That doesn't mean it wouldn't happen.
The Bad: He Needs The Damn Ball
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In theory at least, Tracy McGrady could be an effective spot-up shooter.
In reality, asking him to do something he has never done in his life might not be a good idea.
The primary reason for McGrady's unimpressive shooting statistics is his tendency to dominate the ball and take bad shots.
His opportunities to create for himself would be few in Miami, which might render him completely useless.
The Ugly: Declining Skills
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Few players don't put up consistently strong numbers in Mike D'Antoni's system.
But during his 24-game stay with the Knicks last season, McGrady failed to flourish on a consistent basis.
He averaged 9.6 points in 26 minutes while shooting 38 percent from the field, including a woeful 24 percent from three-point range.
He had a handful of strong games and plenty of stinkers.
The end results weren't very impressive. Although part of his problems can be attributed to rust and his continued recovery from knee surgery, there is no question that his skills have eroded at an alarming rate.
The Ugly: Liar, Liar
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There are some people who are just impossible to believe. Tracy McGrady is one of them.
From his comments regarding his health to his insistence that he will take less money and come off the bench, his words are filled with lies.
He himself presents verbal and visual contradiction to his claims.
He has done just about everything wrong during his world tour, most notably making the Bulls think twice about what initially seemed to be a good situation for both sides.
The visual contradiction has yet to be made public, but his lack of a home suggests that he hasn't exactly dazzled in workouts or passed brief medical examinations in flying colors.
In the end, McGrady will get a job if an NBA team thinks he can still play.
It just might never happen.
